


The Lies We're Told

by MagicalPoolNoodle



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Reaper76 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-10 07:01:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10431786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicalPoolNoodle/pseuds/MagicalPoolNoodle
Summary: Based on the same story/timeline as My Silly Cowboy (starting at chapter 8) and follows the goings on between Jack and Gabriel.Jack is played by @The-McFrickening on Tumblr!(I do not know much Spanish, so, I'm reduced to the horrors of Google translate if I can't find what I want elsewhere. I apologise in advance for that XD Corrections are completely welcome though~!)





	1. Chapter 1

The small team Reyes had assembled for this very sudden, very out of the blue plan had not once been told why he wanted them to kidnap the very next Overwatch member they saw and not kill them. In fact, one they’d captured the archer, those involved were under very strict, under the pain of death order to not kill the elder Shimada brother. Both Widowmaker and Sombra had been involved, the former was sure Reaper had finally completely lost his mind. Sombra was sure that had happened a long time ago.

A lot of sub-par, never to be paid (because why pay up front?) mercenaries had died today during the rescue of the ninja, although Gabriel was somehow pleased with the outcome. He’d been off on his own just as the pair had made to to the ship, but his attention wasn’t on them. No. His gaze was fixed on the one member of Overwatch he’d been hoping to see. Jack Morrison. A man who he’d lost back in the last days of Blackwatch and out of everything he’d done over the years, it was one of the few things he regretted. He fully intended to right this wrong. Any way he could. He remained in hiding until the ship had lifted from the ground and headed back to base, his mood somewhat less dark and moody than it had been for the last few days.

With the successful recovery of Hanzo, everyone was more at ease. Most (if not all) had piped down during the ride back to base, either out of relief or because they didn’t want to take their unconscious comrade. Even Jesse had opted to stay quiet and best of all, everyone was obedient, to an extent. That had unfortunately ended the second they touched down and the archer was rushed to the med bay, followed by the entire team who ignored Jack’s nagging to at least get a debrief out of the way. 

Although, even as irritable and strict as he was now, Jack knew when not to push. They were all on the edges of their seats, and to see the reason for that to be returned safely… he supposed that was a good enough reason to let them be, if only for an hour or two. When the limited time he’d allowed them to have whittled away, Jack cracked down on the lot of them no matter how tired they were. Any sleeping or too much time between the mission and the debrief made the chance of someone forgetting crucial information skyrocket, after all.

Once the meeting was all said and done with, the once-Strike Commander retired to his own private quarters for the rest of the night. He sat at his desk, piles of paperwork in front of him as he started to go through each and every one of his soldiers’ accounts of what had happened, starting with one Jesse McCree. His was the most important, minus Hanzo’s of course, because it held the crucial details of what had gone down inside the facility and had the potential to answer the question that they had all been asking. Why did Talon kidnap Hanzo?

“Yeah, Gabe, why did we go through all of that for nothing, puta?!” Sombra was beyond irate and she was right up in the black-clad man’s face, who remained silent behind the bone-white mask. The hacker’s voice rose in volume, “Are you gonna answer me or not?” 

She got no answer and she wasn’t going to get one either. Widowmaker had tried before her, although in a much flatter, somewhat calmer tone. The sniper had been ignored as well. Reaper glared at Sombra, but kept his silence. When he’d first bought his plan up to them, the two women hadn’t even bothered to ask why because any chance to fuck with, or take out Overwatch was fine by them. Although since the first day he mentioned it, the man had been strangely busy, with what? No one really knew.

“I’m going out.” He finally spoke, turning away from Sombra who was still fuming at him, her hand flashing out in an obscene gesture once his back was turned. “I’ll be back later.” And with that, he was gone before the two women could say anything more. They were used to it, he was like that almost all the time.

It had been a somewhat long, but peaceful ride across the city. Sure, a car would have been far more anonymous, what with the mask and long black jacket on, but Gabe enjoyed riding his motorbike a whole lot more. Plus, his jacket billowed out quite nicely behind him.

Finally reaching his destination, he parked said bike out of sight and walked the rest of the way. It wasn’t too far and soon the high fences and higher walls were in sight, not that they were a challenge for a man who could just teleport. Focusing on where he was heading, the shadows swirled as Reyes vanished into thin air and appeared on the small, private balcony that belonged to Morrison’s room. It wasn’t his first time visiting unnoticed and it wouldn’t be the last. Lucky for him, the blinds were only half drawn, allowing him to watch the man he knew a long time ago.

“This doesn’t make any fucking sense!” Hissing in frustration, Jack slammed a closed fist down on the desk beside the pile of paperwork. It had already been at least two hours since he started trying to piece together something, anything, that might explain Talon’s motives for the capture. Yet, at three in the bloody morning he was still at it with no answers in sight. He was just lucky the walls had been soundproofed a long time ago, otherwise he might have roused half of Overwatch by now.

It was beginning to look like there was no true motive to it, and even when Jesse had mentioned that both he and Hanzo suspected it to be a trap, it still didn’t fit. If it was a trap, why was it so easy for them to escape? Talon had never been known to make things easy and yet, despite them being able to wipe out two weakened members of Overwatch in an isolated facility, they didn’t.

Jack almost believed that maybe some higher power was playing with them like toys, luring them out and screwing with their heads. Exhaling slowly, Jack ran a hand over his visor and through his hair. Even when he was alone he didn’t like to take it off, it was practically a part of him now. Another limb, of sorts. The only person on base who had ever seen him without it was Angela, and that was back when- Jack stood up rather abruptly, not allowing that thought to continue. It wasn’t something he wanted to remember at three in the morning or else he might not sleep. Again.

Hell, with all the shit he still had to go through, he probably won’t anyway. Although, being as frustrated as he was right now, it was probably a good time to consider getting some fresh air before he popped a blood vessel or something. So, with that in mind, Morrison crossed the short distance to the balcony, opening the blinds before stepping outside. He hadn’t even noticed someone else out there with him when he stepped out, probably because his scanner was off, it was dark and he was too tired to properly register the presence.


	2. Chapter 2

It seemed the plan to get Morrison’s attention had been working quite well, yes. Good. Gabriel didn’t even really have a solid plan for any of this, but this was just the start and it seemed to be working out just fine. He’d been leaning against the low balcony wall, half sitting on the edge as he watched the white-haired man pouring over paperwork irately. He looked away for a moment, to check his surroundings and as he looked back, the white-haired man was coming his way. Shit.

Shadows seemed to move as Jack stepped out into the cool, early morning air. What he failed to see was them coalescing above him, nor the top on Gabe’s masked and hooded head peering over the edge down at him. Close enough to watch and lurk some more, with zero intent to do anything but that. Just watch. He’d been at this for a while now, tracking Jack and to put it simply, stalking the man. So far he’d managed to go unnoticed, although he’d had his fair share of close calls. A lot of those times he as glad he could go ghost and get out of there.

The cool air was something Jack welcomed, coldly embracing him and cooling off his temper, if only until he returned to the work at hand. It was always the way he chose to relax, especially at night or in the wee hours of the morning. When the sun was up however, it was never any good for that; Lena would always manage to blink up to his balcony if she saw him, and that was never pleasant. So he saved it for the night, when he was alone. Or at least, when he thought he was.

Sometimes, it wasn’t always a good thing, though. Sometimes, his thoughts drifted to places he’d rather they not be, to past events, old memories… even to Gabriel Reyes. The man who he- no. Jack didn’t want to think about him, not after what happened all those years ago. There was a time and place for that and here and now was not one of them.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t how it worked. Jack couldn’t just shove everything to the back of his head, even if it led to flashbacks of fights and punches, explosions and loss. If it weren’t for his sense of duty and need to find out just what happened that tore the place apart long ago, Jack wasn’t sure how he would’ve survived the first few grueling years after the fact. 

He lost such a vital piece of him so quickly and the thought of that had him gripping the balcony railing with gloveless hands, jaw tight. “Now isn’t the time,” he muttered quietly. As if his mind was going to listen. It didn’t of course and the very thing he knew was coming, did.

Scenes flashed before his eyes in quick succession, the first few calm and peaceful before they dove into haunting memories of anger and relentless fighting. They repeated, again and again and again for what felt like forever. Jack closed his eyes, even though he knew it wasn’t going to help. One final image popped into his head just when he’d had enough and it was what had him finally registering what was going on the real world, that he was gasping for air, throat tight and thoughts swimming around in his head without restraint.

As Reyes watched quietly, his eyes narrowed slightly as Jack started to… was he having a panic attack? Then again, he shouldn’t be shocked, he suffered his own fair share of those, especially when things got stressful. His gloved hands gripped the railing, concern flowing through him. It wasn’t like he could just, slip down there and help him. Hold the man in his arms and comfort him… Yet for a moment, he seriously considered it. Although, he knew it’d be a stupid idea, a really stupid idea.

The very first thing he did upon realising that he’d completely lost it for the third time in a month was to take a long, shaky breath in an attempt to slow his hear down and take control of himself again. Jack had to repeat it several times before he felt like he wasn’t going to hyperventilate, and then a few more to properly calm himself.

All in all it took quite a while, nearing five or six minutes just to regain control. This sort of thing wasn’t common for him, but it’d been picking up a lot lately. Jack would like to think it was just from stress. Releasing the railings from his death grip, the white-haired man turned his gaze upward to look at the sky, but something white caught his eye, causing him to instead shift his attention to- …What the hell is that?

Gabriel had been lost in his own thoughts, drifting out of them as the soldier’s head tilted back and looked straight at his masked face. Fuck. Pushing himself backward, Reyes decided it was probably a good time to get out of here. Shadows swirled as he teleported back out of the compound, because as much as he’d like to talk to Morrison, this was probably not the way (or time) to do that.

Jack couldn’t fathom what the fuck he just saw, because it disappeared not even a moment later. It was almost like some kind of… creepy mask, but it was gone so quickly that the soldier was left shaking his head in disbelief. “And now I’m imagining things.” There was seriously something wrong with him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack gets himself into some unexpected trouble.

Patrol. Jack had to admit, it wasn’t a bad way to spend his third sleepless night in a row, although the soldier did question how well he’d be able to pull it off considering how difficult it was becoming for him to keep his eyes open. Sheer willpower had kept him going through most of the day, alongside a lot of caffeine. Well, at least tonight he wouldn’t have to spill over the briefs for the tenth time in two days. 

It wasn’t that Jack didn’t want to, it just wasn’t something he felt like he should be doing right now, after last night’s… episode, especially. As usual, he hadn’t told a soul about it and had no intention to. Nobody else needed to know about the soldier’s issues, and he intended to keep it that way. Forever. Although, it really did bug him that he was the only one on patrol throughout the entire base. Way to go Overwatch, just leave your safety in the hands of someone who hasn’t been sleeping. This is the exact reason why he’d insisted before that they have a second person on patrol. Coming to a half at one of the several high vantage points throughout the grounds of the base, Jack carefully scrutinised every last dark corner he could see.

Reyes had spent an entire… afternoon, planning his next move. His sleep had been restless and broken (something that was far from uncommon), so he’d ended up sleeping late and even once he woke up he wasn’t in a rush. Coffee had helped perk him up, as much as he could ‘perk’ and he’d remained in his room to plan. 

Now, it was night and he’d left without a word, this time, not even being asked where he was going. Sombra and Widow knew they’d get no answer. He’d taken one of the cars tonight, due to the fact that if things went the way he’d hastily planned, the bike would be less effective. He’d parked closer to the wall, keys in the ignition, ready for a quick getaway in case things didn’t go the way he wanted.

By now, Jack had moved to another point, then another, grumbling all sorts of things under his breath. At one he actually thought he was going to fall asleep standing, but a pinch to his cheek woke him back up before such a thing could happen. There was no way he’d forgive himself if he fell asleep on duty, especially since it was crucial that someone patrolled the grounds.

Gabriel knew Overwatch’s patrol schedule and it didn’t change very often. Ghosting over the wall, Gabe laid in wait for Jack to come into sight. Once the white-haired man was, the masked man slid into the shadows, creeping over toward him quickly.

Had Jack been able to concentrate a little more, he might have been able to notice the smoky, shadowy mass that was making a bee-line for him. Instead, he only picked up on it when it was too late, the black shadows forming something that resembled a human- one who wore a bone white mask and all black. Had he noticed merely a second sooner, Jack would have been able to avoid the rough shove directed his way and called for backup. But no, that wasn’t how it went, so the soldier let out a yelp of surprise, his back pressed against the wall.

“Nap time, Jack.” Reyes wasn’t giving the man a chance to defend himself, or call for help. Depressing the top of a small canister, the contents sprayed at Jack’s face as the man took a swing at him. The swing was mostly ineffective, the force behind it fading as the white-haired man slumped forward. Out cold.

Waking up when you’re tied to a chair is never enjoyable, especially for Jack; the master of being irritated all the time. Yet, this is exactly what was happening right now. He awoke rather suddenly, having to squint before his eyes could properly adjust to the lighting. “What the fuck?” In a split second his instincts kicked in, every muscle in his body tensing when he attempted to bring his arms forward, only to found them bound together by something. His next move was to take a hasty glance around the room, finding it to be relatively empty. Oh. This doesn’t bode very well.

Jack had been out for a long longer than anticipated, every time Reyes had come to check on the man, he was still out. Guess he needed the forced rest. He’d taken Morrison to one of the smaller, lesser known and rarely used buildings they used. He really didn’t want Sombra sticking her nose in his business, which she did often. The sniper on the other hand, she was barely a problem.

The door to the room opened and Reaper strode in, still in his battle gear, mask over his face. For some reason, he didn’t want to just walk in unmasked and give away his big, dramatic reveal so simply. Where was the fun in that? At least this time Jack was conscious and as expected, looked none too pleased.

“Hello, Jack.” He remained out of reach of kicking boots, his arms crossed over his chest. “It’s been a long time.” A very long time. He recalled when he first saw that the man he’d once called friend and more importantly, lover, had survived the explosion at the Swiss headquarters. A whole myriad of emotions had slammed into him that day, on one hand, he was happy but the anger that burned inside him was much stronger. That rage still hadn’t died down much at all, remaining inside him, festering and boiling away just beneath the surface.

Jack wouldn’t say that it was the best way to take a nap, but while he’d been unconscious he still managed to catch up on some well needed sleep, allowing him to focus a little better than he had been… God knows how long ago. Although, upon the entry of once masked man wearing all black, the soldier was struck with familiarity and it hardly took him any time to piece it all together. “Reaper.” His voice was a growl and it was clear he was glaring, even with the tactical visor covering most of his face.

He hadn’t the slightest clue as to why he why he was there, and he was taken in the middle of patrol, so… who could really blame him? At the same time, though, the soldier knew his anger would get him nowhere in a situation like this. So, with a large sum of willpower, he bit back as much of the volatile emotion as he could. “Long time?” The first question that came out of Jack’s mouth was no other than that, an angry inquiry about what Reaper even meant. His words implied they they’d met previously, like they knew each other outside of the battlefield… but there wasn’t anything familiar about him other than the fact he was an enemy to Overwatch; that he was Reaper.

“I’ve lost count of how long it’s been.” Reaper waved one hand in the air, gesturing emptily, although his words were true. Time had no meaning to a dead man. Deciding not to drag this out any longer than he had to, he reached up and unclasped the bone-white mask. After all, this moment why exactly why he’d bought Jack here. 

What the hell was he talking about? Jack grit his teeth, swinging his head to the side to glare at something else. “Just who the hell are you?” Movement in the corner of his eye, as well as a lack of verbal response had him looking back, spotting the man reaching for that mask. Anticipation slapped back in the face like a tonne of bricks and he was definitely paying attention now, watching that mask being unclasped with a hawk-like gaze.


	4. Chapter 4

Lowering his hand, Reyes revealed his face to Jack. It was much more scarred than before his death, most of the damage had been gained in the explosion. A somewhat twisted grin spread his lips, aside from the scarring, it seemed he’d barely changed after all these years. 

What was revealed though… it made Jack freeze stiff in his chair, as if he’d just been thrown into an industrial freezer and then bought back out as an ice block. “Gabriel… Reyes?” But… no, he’s dead. Isn’t he? Jack saw him die in that explosion, so there’s… no, it was possible. Jack survived, after all. But… why?

That grin faded quickly and he stepped forward, his face twisted in anger and rage, pain and grief. “You left me to die, Jack! You all left me to die! After everything!” He shoved himself backward and turned away, taking a moment to attempt to compose himself. “If it hadn’t been for her…” He growled, trailing off. He would have preferred a clean death, even if it had been slow. Instead, now he was this… monster. This… whatever he was. 

Gabe’s hands slamming onto the arms of the chair had the soldier thawing out in an instant, unable to comprehend the fact that he was alive. The man’s appearance didn’t matter to him in the damn slightest, he… he just… Any and all expression on Jack’s face dropped the second his once-lover spoke (or more like shouted) again, before quickly settling into his own mixture of rage and grief. 

“… I left you to die? You…” Jack trailed off, voice unsteady, dripping with absolute fury. “You weren’t the only one caught in that fucking explosion!” Lurching forward in the chair, the rope bit into his body even through his armour and clothing, but he just didn’t care about that right now. “After everything… How the hell can you come to me and say that I just left you there to die? Do you really think I would have done that?!” Why? Why would he even think that? Jack tugged harshly at the ropes around his wrists, trying to get them free so he could untie himself and punch the other in the face as hard as he could.

Gabe turned back to face Jack swiftly as the man raged right back at him, his eyes narrow as the white-haired man fought against his bindings. It was a good call to tie him down for sure. “Why do I think it, Jack?” he spat the name, his rage containing to fuel him, “because I had to crawl my way out of that fucking hellhole and by the time I did, the first thing I saw was the ship. Leaving. I died Jack and that was the last fucking thing I saw.” His arms were down at his sides stiffly, hands balled tightly into fists. “Then I was robbed of a clean fucking death. I could have died a hero. But no, Angela came and found me. Fixed me up _real_ good.” His arms crossed angrily over his chest. “ _Pinche puta_ , I never did get to thank her for that.”

“Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t on that ship?” Jack quipped back in an instant, still struggling against his bindings. When he felt that there really was no point using force, the soldier’s body slumped forward, head now tilted downward, his eyes boring holes into the floor. Whatever willpower he had before had long since burned away, blood boiling in his very veins. “I looked everywhere for you, you fucking idiot.” Jack spat rather bitterly, wrists now twisting and turning to try and loosen the knots. 

“Of course not!” Even the tone in Gabe’s words showed he’d been caught completely off guard by those words. He really hadn’t ever thought of it that was. Ever. Shit. Now he felt bad instead of angry and it showed on his face.

The comment about Angela, however… now that had Jack looking back up again. “Angela?” Wait, so… she knew that Gabriel was still alive and said nothing all this time? “So she… knew you were alive, and didn’t even think to tell me?”

“Wait…” he stared at Jack for a moment, meeting those partially obscured baby blues of his, “she never even told you?” That… that was something he hadn’t been aware of either. He’d just… well, assumed a whole lot of things. What the hell was going on right now? This wasn’t going at all like he’d planned, but still, it wasn’t so bad, right? “That’s really fucked up. It’s not like she left me dead on the table. I walked out of there, I vaguely remember that. Although, I have no idea how long it’d been… weeks, maybe? She worked real hard to save me.” But why after everything hadn’t the woman spoken up? Angela had known about the two of them, it wasn’t like they’d kept it a secret.

And now Gabe feels bad, judging by the expression on his face, fuck, Jack didn’t need this right now. “Didn’t say a word.” The soldier hissed. He had a bone to pick with her now, because she knew how much they meant to each other, yet she still chose to play dumb. Whatever her reason for that was… Jack wasn’t going to go easy on her, that’s for sure. 

With a heavy sigh, Gabe moved around behind the chair, completely awkward and confused, and angry… and sad, and everything. Taking a blade from his belt, he just cut the ropes loose, rather than being bothered to untie them. Jack had kept his eyes trained on the man until he could no longer see him. He’d been expecting something else to happen, but when the ropes were cut and fell from his body, Jack shot up, whirled around and swung in an instant, balled fist making contact with Gabe’s cheek. 

“Idiot!” Jack wasn’t done. There was no end to how angry he was that the other had just assumed he’d left him there. Although, at the same time, relief flooded in, alongside sorrow which created a nasty combination, swirling together and creating a wave of… whatever all this was.

Gabe had expected the blow, but it still connected hard enough to make him reel back a little where he stood. Although, there was no retaliation. One hand raised to cover the spot where Jack’s fist had connected, rubbing the tender spot gingerly, smiling just a little. Although that smile faded fast. “I thought you’d all betrayed me, Jack, and after going through literal death and all that experimental shit that woman did to keep me alive… I really didn’t feel like it. I was just so angry, I wanted to kill everyone.” Alas, the amount of killing he’d done in these last ten or so years hadn’t been cathartic at all. It just made him want more.

“Fuck you, Gabe. You should’ve come sooner, and next time don’t kidnap me.” Honestly, the soldier could have growled at him for hours if he wanted to. There was so much pent up anger left over from so long ago, so much he could have said, but no matter how much he did, it wasn’t going to fix anything. Jack unclenched his fist, exhaling slowly and averting his eyes. “We’re not on the same side anymore.”

“As for the kidnapping… would you really just have just talked to me if I showed up at the front door?” Gabe’s gaze dropped away and bore holes into the floor at Jack’s words, that was true enough. He was Reaper, working with Talon, in an almost constant fight against Overwatch.

Jack finally changed a look at Gabriel, at his face, at the scars. He still saw the same man he’d fallen for so long ago. There was no doubt he’d changed, they both had and it was painful to think that Gabe had been right there this whole time. It had him lowering his head again, eyes already shut. Taking a step closer, the soldier pushed the chair out of the way and slid his arms around him, his hands finding purchase in the fabric on his back. “Shit, I never thought I was going to see you again.”

“I know… I’m the bad guy and you’re the good guy. So what are you gon-” He was cut off by Jack’s body pressing against his own and he decided to not even bother finishing that sentence. His own arms circled Morrison and he held him tightly, his eyes closing. He really, really had missed this. “It would have been sooner but… yeah.” He may or may not have chickened out several times before, delaying this reunion.

Everything about the hug was still familiar, too. The warmth, the feeling of being pressed against one another. A form of comfort that only Gabriel ever seemed to give. It was enough to get lost in, to completely forget about everything and fuck, he missed it. It was just too bad that Jack knew better, just like how that even if they reconciled now, there was no way it was going to be easy to forgive and forget on both sides.

Jack didn’t know what to say about the experimentation, but… he was going to have a go at Angela for that as well. She’d best be prepared for the wrath of Soldier: 76, because it wasn’t going to be pretty. Remaining in Gabe’s embrace for a great deal longer, Jack finally decided to part with him, letting go and blinking away any potential liquid that may or may not have formed in his eyes. After stepping back, the soldier’s arms crossed over one another, the hint of a smile present on his lips hidden behind his visor. “We’ll figure this out,” he started, shifting slightly. “Just like old times. Now, am I free to head back?”

Gabe wondered if he should ever tell Jack he’d literally been stalking him for months before he even built up the courage to kidnap him. Maybe not now, maybe later when they could look back at it and laugh. Right now though, he was going to enjoy the hell out of this moment. This moment, for the first time since he’d died, he was glad Angela had saved him. Monster or no. This exact moment had made all his suffering worth it.

Even if Gabe never said anything, Jack would piece it together sooner or later. He was far from stupid and had yet to forget about that mysterious white mask peering down at him from the balcony above. It was only a matter of time.

As the embrace was broken by Jack, Reyes was half tempted to grab him and keep that embrace gong… but no, he knew the other had to go before he was missed. It was better this way. “Of course,” he tried to be nonchalant about it, but that didn’t go so well. Not to mention he wasn’t even sure how they’d work all this out. “Yeah, we always figure shit out. It’s what we do.” Oh, right, he’d have to let Jack out since the door was locked.

Unlocking the only door to the room, he swung it open and yep, the building was still quiet. As to be expected. “Just follow the hall and take a right, the exit is right head.” Although, as Jack moved to step through the door, Gabe grabbed him and slid the visor from the man’s face, pressing their mouths together in a short kiss. He wasn’t leaving without at least one. “And leave your balcony unlocked.” He whispered as he broke the kiss, stepping back to regretfully let the man leave.

Jack wasn’t sure how they’d figure out things either, but hey, a good soldier improvises if necessary and that might just be what they have to do. As Gabe’s lips were suddenly on his own, he definitely hesitated at first before pressing into it, only for it to be broken afterward. The words that were whispered, now they elicited an eye roll from Jack. “I never lock it."


	5. Chapter 5

Gabe watched as Morrison walked away, remaining in the doorway until the man was out of sight. Going back into the room he sat heavily down on the chair, pressing his face into his hands for a moment with a long sigh, muttering to himself. “What the fuck are you doing, _pendejo_?” He sat there in silence for a long time, processing everything.

Jack hadn’t betrayed him. That was, by far, the biggest, hardest thing to process. All those long years of hatred built up toward him for that and now, it had all been a fucking lie. If only he’d gone and seen him earlier, before Talon… But no, that hadn’t been possible. 

He’d been a complete mess both physically and mentally back then. Gabriel could vaguely recall the day Angela had let him leave (even though she had tried to stop him or convince him it was a bad idea), she thought she’d saved him and done it well. It had only taken fourty eight hours for the side-effects of whatever it was she’d done to him to kick in.

He’d been at home, trying to piece together everything that had happened before, back in Sweden, both before and after the explosion. Although his thoughts had been quite rudely interrupted as his body started to tear itself apart, he’d been terrified and in blinding agony as he became a shadowy mass before it coalesced. All he could do was scream, not able to even comprehend what had just happened to him. 

If dying hadn’t driven the man to the insanity that had followed, the random bouts of teleportation to wherever his gaze was at the time and the continued, random bouts of his body breaking down into the shadow again surely did. The thing was. Talon had come to him. They offered him help, a way to control himself. To stop his body constantly shifting into the shadowy mass at random. Gabe had been desperate at that point and the offer was exactly what he’d needed.

He had accepted their offer and Talon had delivered, sort of. They claimed to have never seen anything like it before, it had taken weeks for them to help him gain control over himself. Now days, the pain was… he just barely noticed it anymore. He owed Talon his life. At least his sanity was… somewhat intact now days, although, the Reaper was that part of him that hadn’t survived. That part of him that loved the kill. There was one thing that was clear in his mind right now. Jack was back in his life and even if there was going to be a lot of fighting and a lot of resentment, he didn’t care. If he could survive death, this would be a walk in the fucking park.

Jack should have been considering going back on patrol as his wasn’t even over yet, but with the events that had come to pass, he doubted he’d be able to push everything aside for another hour or two. It was all too much to come to terms with at once, to know that he shouldn’t have given up on Gabe, even if it meant chasing after ghosts.

God, he could barely even believe it. Some part of him wanted to brush everything off and act as though none of it was real, that he was just hallucinating. The rest of him wanted to hang on to this new discovery and that fact that Gabriel Reyes had come back from the dead and he never knew. That last part… that got to him. Big time. Why would anyone keep something so important from him? If Gabe hadn’t taken the step to confront Jack, then chances were, the soldier would never have known he still existed.

Taking his time to move over to the bed after packing up the mess he’d left the previous night, Jack slid into it, remaining upright and staring into darkness. What made all of this so much worse, was that Gabriel had suffered by Angela’s hand, _because of her_ , and it only fuelled his rage to rip her a third hole. Yes, he was happy that the man was still alive. There was no doubt about that, but… if it really meant suffering like that, turning into what he is now, was it really worth it? Jack didn’t think so, not when it’d changed Gabe so much.

Reyes couldn’t even sleep if he wanted too, he’d tried everything, but even before today sleep had never come easy for him. He’d wrecked his bed with all of his tossing and turning, the sheets on the floor. With an annoyed growl, his pillow arced through the air and plopped against the door. Fuck it, he needed to do _something_. Even if it was late… early… one of those. Sitting up, he got off the bed (since only the flat sheet was left on it) and stalked over to the large cupboard against the wall on the other side of the room. Yanking one of the draws open, he fished out some knitting needles and scratched around in a lower draw for some awful coloured wool. He ended up grabbing some hideous, off-tone orange that Sombra had given him a while ago as a prank. 

With those in hand, he retrieved his pillow on the way back and tucked it against the bed head to knit away his problems. Sombra had quickly learned to _not_ joke about him knitting or sewing. Those were the skills his mother had taught him and the only real memory he had left of her. It had taken a few bruises and broken bones before she decided to let it go. Electing instead to supply him with awful coloured wool and hideously patterned material to use. Although, that had backfired because out of spite, Gabe had made her a truly _hideous_ dress. She only wore It once, for a whole day which included going out in public for several hours, under pain of death. That had been extremely satisfying, although, she still gifted him materials from time to time. Soon, he’d repeat his lesson but doubted she’d give up after that.

Jack had little luck with sleeping through what remained of the night… erm- morning as well. The soldier had wound up laying down, drowsiness seeping in, but the comfort of sleeping never taking hold. There was just too much to think about, and so, with a quiet curse he instead threw himself back into his findings about Hanzo’s capture, writing down and pointing out similarities, differences, inconsistencies and potential reasons. Nothing seemed to fit, though.

The dark sky began to brighten and this made the third night of (almost) no sleep. Later in the day, he’d have to go to Angela for something strong to knock him out, as well as snap at her for what she’d been withholding and what she did to Gabriel. Jack just hoped he had enough self control to not completely lose it at the woman, she may have been the cause of something horrible, but she was also the reason why his old lover was still alive and that counted for something.

But that didn’t mean he’d forgive her. In fact, the whole of Overwatch was… It wasn’t like it used to be, and as the days dragged on he only built up on stress until he was standing at the very tip of a mountain of it. He needed to find out what had happened all those years ago, what had split Blackwatch in two was one of the two reasons he was still even here; the current Overwatch had the information that could help him, and the other reason… Jack would have to say he just missed it, being a part of something so much bigger than himself. That thing was, it felt _wrong_ and Angela’s little secret had bought that fact to attention.


	6. Chapter 6

There weren’t many weeks left until Christmas and it seemed a perfect time make and hand out another ugly sweater for the rest of the winter. Although, this one was going to go to one man in particular and Gabe had the advantage of them both being roughly the same size and build. Although, he had fallen asleep at some time before the sun had risen, slumped sideways with the start of the body of the jumper in his lap.

By the time he awoke, it was late in the day, as in, after lunch late. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so long, it was a shame how he’d been awoken though. The sharp, burning pain was back again, this time in his right leg. This was one pain he could never get used to and from what he had figured out through research, was it a similar pain that amputees feel after surgery. Except his limb wasn’t missing. 

He’d attributed it to what was happening to his body, with it’s constant breaking down and regenerating. None of it helped his mood any, so he spent the afternoon avoiding _everyone _. Deciding he didn’t want to wait any longer, Gabe left the slowly growing pile of knitting on his still unmade bed and headed out. He was going to pay a visit to a certain medic that needed a real ass whoopin’.__

__At some point when Jack finally separated himself from work and had a bite to eat for breakfast, he arranged a time to see Angela. Or, should I say, he demanded it. In half an hour from now, whether she liked it or not and she had to be alone. Jack wasn’t taking any no’s for an answer, his usual angry demeanour had current tripled in intensity, making it difficult for anyone to approach him, even Lena._ _

__So when the time came for him to confront the woman about all the things he’d heard, all about _Gabriel_ , he was absolutely _fuming_. Genji might have even tried to make a joke about how they could most likely toast waffles on him, if not for Jesse’s intervention. So, alas, that joke was not made and the cyborg was spared from Jack’s metaphorical eye lasers. Upon stepping into the med-bay, the soldier took his place against the wall, still glaring under his visor. “Why the _fuck_ didn’t you tell me he was still alive?”_ _

__Angela had been so engrossed in sorting out past medical records, archiving the older stuff, that she hadn’t even _heard_ Jack step into her office. Although, his gruff, anger-filled words got her attention very quickly and she jerked upright, turning to face him, her eyes wide as she stared at the man. _He’d found out_. Her hands clasped together anxiously as she tried to find the words to explain her actions, and her secrecy._ _

__“Jack, I’m sorry. I… he isn’t the man you know anymore. I wasn’t even really sure if…” If he’d survive. It he’d be okay. If he’d still be the Gabriel they once know. It was enough of a shock that he’d pulled through in the first place, but he’d insisted on leaving. Angela knew something had gone wrong, but he’d left before she could look into that to make sure._ _

__“And you think that gives you the right to hide it from me?” Jack could decide if he was the same man or not on his own. He was perfectly capable of doing so and he didn’t need somebody else doing it for him. Especially when that someone wasn’t and never would be as close to Gabriel as he was._ _

__She opened her mouth to continue, but was interrupted as a black mass of swirling shadows let itself in through the open window. The doctor was fully aware of who and what it was as the shadows solidified in front of her. One of Gabe’s hands shot out and roughly shoved her back against the filing cabinets, the other producing one of his shotguns and roughly shoving the muzzle between her breasts._ _

__The black smoke that drifted into the room had hellishly good timing, stopping Jack from continuing his barely-withheld rant. Having constantly related ‘Reaper’s’ wraith-like form to an enemy, the soldier instinctively tensed at the sight. Although, when it reformed and Angela was shoved ruthlessly back against the cabinets, he shook his wariness away as best he could._ _

__Reyes hadn’t even noticed Jack there, he was too consumed by his rage to have paid attention to anyone except the woman he was there to see. “ _You never told him!?_ ” He snarled dangerously at her as she tried to lean away from the gun, unable to do so. “After _everything_ you did to me, you never told the one man that mattered the most to me?!” He bristled visibly, his finger hovering dangerously close to the trigger. " _Debería dispararte dónde está parado!_ ” Gabe wasn’t even wearing his mask, his brown gaze boring into Angela’s, his teeth grinding together as he fought the almost overwhelming urge to just blast her chest open right here and now._ _

__Jack realised his presence hadn’t even been registered. “Gabe,” even as he spoke his voice was still laced with anger. Although, he moved over to the pair quickly when he caught sight of that shotgun and his hand shot out and grabbed Reyes’ arm, roughly yanking it back, pressing his other firmly down on the gun. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Lower it!” Yes, Gabriel had every reason to be angry at her, but she was the one that bought him back. Even if she was also the cause of his suffering, Jack wasn’t going to stand by and watch._ _

__A hand gripping his arm roughly and pulling it away broke his tunnel vision, his head snapping to see that Morrison was here as well. There was a long, silent, tense pause before he finally lowered the weapon and turned away from the Swiss doctor. Yanking his free hand from Jack, he balled it into a fist and span back to face her, slamming said fist into the cabinet, uncomfortably close to the medic’s face. “You’re lucky Jack was here, _Mercy_.” Her codename was spoken with venomous sarcasm as he finally stepped away from her, his arms crossed angrily over his chest._ _

__Jack was patient but stern, not letting up the pressure he was putting on that shotgun. When the man finally saved, he chose to ignore how the other had yanked away from his grasp, not even flinching at the sudden bang of Gabe’s fist as it drove into the cabinet. “Angela, we’ll be continuing this _later_.” He spoke sternly, making it clear he wasn’t tolerating any defiance. She wasn’t the only one on the receiving end of his orders, though. Turning to Gabriel, the solder addressed him as well, having no intention to leave him out. “Gabe, I don’t want to hear any complaints. Meet me in my room. The balcony door is unlocked. Go.” And just for added measure… “ _Now_.” Jack growled, not even _twitching_ until the other left._ _

__Reyes had always had a rather explosive temper, that he’d inherited from both his parents. As he did his flair for the dramatic, both of those ran in his family. Drama was just in their blood. Angela took the hunt and nodded, glancing between the two of them before she left her office in a _real hurry_. Gabriel met Jack’s gaze steadily, no hint of regret on his face. He held the man’s glare for several moments before he muttered something under his breath that sounded a whole lot like _’pendejo’_. _ _

__He left the way he came, ghosting out the window and making his way around the side of the compound on foot, stomping irately until Jack’s balcony was in sight. Teleporting up, he opened the sliding door and stepped inside, sitting his ass down on the edge of the bed to await what was sure going to be a loud and angry lecture._ _


	7. Chapter 7

When Gabe left and once Angela was no longer in sight, Jack made the short trek back to his room, and Genji _swore_ he was blowing steam out of his ears. Upon arriving at his door, the soldier made his entrance known by yanking it open, stepping inside and then slamming it behind him. Snipping the lock, his hands roamed upward to unfasten the mask and visor, tossing them on the nearest surface before approaching the man on the bed.

“Why the _hell_ were you there? You were in the _open_! What if it wasn’t me in there?!” Jack stomped the rest of the way, coming to a stop in front of Gabe, answer swimming around in his blue eyes, all directed at him. “And what about what you did? We’re you really going to pull that _fucking trigger_ if I didn’t stop you?”

Reyes hadn’t even been startled by the door slamming, he’d expected. Jack’s angry glare was met with Gabe’s own as he pushed himself to stand up, eye level always made things easier. “It was _exactly what it looked like,_ Jack.” He snarled back in response. “Did you really expect me to sit at home and _not_ want to confront her about all this, eh?” He took a sharp breath in, huffing the air out of his nose. “I don’t fucking know, maybe? I wasn’t planning on killing her. I just… got so pissed at her.” Obviously. “And if wasn’t you in there, I would have taken care of it. I’m not going to apologise for what I did, she fucked us both over Jack and you know it.”

“You would have taken care of it? Gabe, we both know that you would have killed them on the spot! I’m not going to stand for that just because it’s you.” Even with Gabe standing, Jack had no intention to back down. He never ever had, not in any of their fights prior to this and certainly not now. “I don’t care if she fucked us over, coming after her like that was a stupid move and you know it.” Growling right back, the soldier’s hand shot up, fingers curling into the fabric of Reyes’ collar and yanking him so close Jack could feel his warm breath on his face. “I swear to God, Gabe, I’m going to punch you again if you keep this stupid crap up.”

Sure, Morrison was completely right. It _was_ a reckless move, but Gabe’s emotions had driven him. They generally did. He said nothing as Jack ranted at him, nor did he say anything when the man yanked him closer to growl at him some more. All he did, was grin. A big, stupid grin. “Is that a promise, Jack? Or a threat?” That grin remained firmly fixed in place as he raised his arms and draped them over the soldier’s shoulders. “You already punched me once, didn’t hurt as much as it used to.” 

That grin _really_ tempted Jack to knee Gabe where it hurts. “It’s going to be _very real_ in a minute,” he snapped, absolutely refusing to drop that glare even when arms found themselves on his shoulders. “I’ll even make it hurt a lot more if you don’t _shut up_.” What was with Gabe and always managing to infuriate him further?

Reyes found himself getting lost in the angry, swirling blue gaze of Soldier: 76 and without a moment’s hesitation, he crushed his lips against Jack’s in a much deeper kiss than their previous one. Those eyes, they always managed to draw him in. He could stare at them for days, given the chance.

Keeping his displeasure well-known, the soldier definitely noticed the silence, but what had his eyes widening slightly and grip loosening were those goddamn _lips_ of Gabriel’s, and fuck, it was hard to resist. Re-tightening his hold, Jack’s anger melted away just a tidbit; but that didn’t mean he was just going to let the man have his way. Oh no, that wasn’t how this was going to work. After his eyes drifted closed, the soldier proceeded to nip at Gabe’s lips, making sure to let him know that he wasn’t out of the storm just yet.

Unfortunately (or, fortunately for Gabe) old habits and instincts dictated what he did next, his free arm slipping around Reyes’ neck almost subconsciously while he pressed into him. It was ridiculous how much he still craved times like this, even after so many years had gone by. Jack supposed that it was one of the few things that never really changed, despite having supposedly lost Gabe.

The brunette moved his arms from Jack’s shoulders to wrap around his back, holding them close together as the kiss continued. The pale haired man wasn’t the only one who craved and missed the moments like this that they used to hare. Finally breaking the kiss and leaning his forehead, Gabe smiled. “Even after all these years, you still taste the same.”

“And you’re still cheesy.” Jack followed up shortly, heaving a quiet, rather content sigh. “And reckless, irritating, a pain in my side. That hasn’t changed either.” Warm, too. Yet, as much as it sounded like he was insulting him, it was out of fondness, a light tease that was a little more than a joke. Even if it was true. Their current little shared moment didn’t quite feel like it was enough for Jack, though. Breaking from the embrace, he gave Gabe’s core a firm push after letting go of his collar, to direct him back to the bed without needing to use words.

“I guess not all of me can change, right?” Gabriel smirked, chuckling lightly at Jack’s words. He was used to that kind of non-insult, but even he knew it was true. Hell, even being in here right now, even though the door was locked, was reckless. Although, he doubted Angela would tell anyone what happened, but he had a feeling she’d be keeping her windows shut and locked for a long time. Allowing himself to be pushed down, Gabe swung his legs up onto the bed and shuffled over to make room for Jack. He pulled the man down against him, one arm wrapping around his shoulders, the other seeking a hand. Right now, he said nothing. He didn’t want to, this moment was a long time coming and he wanted to savour it.

“Regrettably,” Jack muttered. The amount of times he’d nearly gotten himself killed- no, they _both_ nearly had, was definitely far beyond the fingers he could count on two hands; and that cheesiness, _ugh_ , now that was something he’d always despised and loved at the same time. Allowing himself to be pulled downward, Jack was plenty happy to accept that hand into his own, giving it a gentle squeeze and sliding his other arm underneath to then curl around Gabe’s lower back.

The warmth that seemed to radiate off of the other’s body, despite his rather unique ability was so damn _nice_ and Jack found himself tucking his head under Gabriel’s chin, inhaling that scent of his. There was no doubt that it was different, but… still familiar, still holding hints of the same smell from way back when. The both of them stayed like that for a good while, Jack even going so far as to nodding off and jolting back awake multiple times, never able to remain properly asleep. While it might have been irritating at any other point in time, all it did was give him more time to bask in, well… _everything_. “…Are you free tonight?” But of course, the silence didn’t last forever, it was inevitable that one of them would speak up. “I found a nice looking restaurant while I was out a few days ago, and…” trailing off, Jack’s voice was just a fraction hoarse from the lack of use.

Despite the warm, the comfort, the closeness and the… everything, Gabriel couldn’t get any naps in, unlike Jack. He didn’t mind though, he just let his head rest atop Jacks, just _enjoying_ the moment. After so many years of anger and violence, this was so far removed from all of that. A part of his life that had been missing. Finally, the silence was broken and Reyes nodded his head, then froze for a moment. “A date? Really, Jack? Suddenly you’re not worried about me being exposed anymore?” He was of course, just teasing. “But, yeah, I’m free. I’ll be nice to eat out for once.” Good thing he had something nice to wear that didn’t scream that he was here to murder everyone in the vicinity. “I can meet you there, which place is it?”

“Shut up.” Jack grumbled all to irritably at the teasing, but it didn’t last for long. “It’s called The Castle,” a hint of approval had snuck into his tone without his consent, but Jack couldn’t be bothered to hide it, he was too… comfortable, “I’ll book for six thirty.” Removing his head from it’s spot under Gabe’s chin, the soldier pressed their lips together again, giving him a soft peck. “Don’t be late.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night!
> 
> (I don't know how to colour text with the html code -_- I need red and have no clue. If anyone can help that'd be better than bold italics :| )

Late was often something Gabriel was, he had _terrible_ time management in his downtime, usually distracted by his hobbies or work. Although, tonight, for the first time in a long time he was on time. In fact, he’d made an _effort_ to get to _The Castle_ on time. Jack had booked the table in his own name, just in case. It wasn’t like Reyes was a super uncommon name, but still, it was safer to err on the side of caution.

This place though, it was super flashy. Jack had booked a private room and from what Gabe could tell, it was _soundproofed_ for privacy. Oh, the fun they could have in here. His gaze flicked to the clock that hung above the door, Jack was late and that was something that rarely ever happened. Had Morrison changed his mind? Had… No. The Reaper inside his head started to whisper again. “ ** _It’s probably a trap, you idiot.”_** Gabe scowled and grabbed the glass of water in front of him, downing the contents. “ _ **Kill everyone here before it’s too late, Overwatch is coming to get you**_.” 

It was so very ironic that after telling Gabriel not to be late, Jack instead wound up doing so. There was absolutely no way he was going to supply the man with the reason behind his inability to show up at the correct time, because that meant admitting to the fact that he was _nervous_. Although, if that came up, he’s already chosen the perfect candidate to use as his scapegoat. Lena.

“Table name?” Upon approaching the small counter, Jack realised he was fifteen minutes late. Shit.

“Morrison.” The lady gave him a smile, offering the lead the way and Jack followed. The soldier had dressed himself in the best clothes he had currently, a white, fitted suit with a red tie and a folded handkerchief he’d tucked into the jacket’s breast pocket. It was just a simple three piece, the dress shirt under all the layers harbouring thin, black stripes.

He’d been running his hands over the front to smooth it out far too many times from the second he stepped inside the place, out of nerves of anxiety, he wasn’t sure because it was hard to tell the two apart. Romance wasn’t something he’d bothered with after everything happened, t was just impossible after he thought he lost Reyes. So when it came to dates, he was a little rusty. Besides, who wouldn’t be at least a little nervous after finally reuniting with a lover that was once believed to be dead? 

The woman stopped just short of a door, gesturing to it with one arm and gracing him with a low bow. “We hope the both of you have a lovely night.” She hummed, so very enthusiastic before leaving him there alone, standing awkwardly at the door. All of the tables were sectioned off, which was part of the reason he’d mentioned this place; it was just better for the both of them if they weren’t out in the open. With a harsh swallow, the soldier garbed in white turned the knob and pushed the door open, heading inside.

Voices from outside of the door, muted, dragged Gabriel’s attention from the incessant _nattering_ in his head. No. This wasn’t the time. It really wasn’t. Jack wasn’t the only one who had avoided romantic entanglement after the explosion, then again, Gabe had lost his mind and become a killing machine for Talon. So, there _was_ that. There was though, this one time when he’d been _stalked_ by a group of black clad teenagers he’d run across whilst on a mission. They thought he was _just so dreamy_ and even wanted his autograph. The Reaper had killed them all.

The door opening dragged Gabe from his thoughts and Jack stepped into the room. Just him, no guns, no armour, no backup. Just Jack, and he looked good. Like, _really good_. Gabriel himself was (of course) donned in black, simple tailored slacks and long double breasted jacket with golden buttons. Over the jacket was something akin to a red vest which was part of the jacket itself and a large hood was sitting atop his head, lined in the same red of the vest. It was by far, the best thing he’d made and he really didn’t get to wear it nearly as much as he’d like. It was far too formal for everyday wear. “Jack, wow…” the words had left his mouth before he realised, “you look… wow.” He didn’t even give a shit that the man was late, it was worth it to see him dressed up like this.

Jack could _not_ stop the heat rising to his cheeks due to Gabriel’s words, even if he wanted to. Which he did, quite a bit. The soldier was old enough to know that he really shouldn’t be getting flustered over a few words and acting like some schoolgirl in love, but hell, how could he _not_? “Sorry I’m late, I got held up.” Choosing instead to act as though his blush didn’t exist, Jack’s baby blues settled on Reyes’ form and he _swore_ his cheeks went three shades darker, eyes admiring all the little details and how well the colour scheme suited him. “You… you look good.” Ugh, of all the things he could have said like, ‘that suits you’, ‘handsome’, ‘lovely’ or even _downright hot_ , that was what came out of his mouth? Smooth, Jack. _Real smooth_. Nearing the table, the soldier rather awkwardly coughed into his hand, eventually settling down in his chair just opposite Gabe. His gaze hadn’t left the man once since he walked in, and Jack mentally scolded himself for staring. He supposed that being so _attracted_ to Reyes was proof that there was still lingering feelings, but it’s not like that hadn’t been proven already. “It suits you.” And there it was, his attempt to rectify his little muck up.

Gabe rested his elbows on the edge of the table and bought his hands together, his fingers sliding between the gaps to make a resting spot for his chin. “It’d nothing to worry about. At least for once it wasn’t me.” He studied Jack’s face, watching him staring with red cheeks. “But, uh, thanks.” That was… awkward. Honestly, Reyes didn’t even remember why he’d made this outfit, especially since he’d barely worn it. Although, the way Jack was staring at him, it was worth it sitting in his wardrobe for however long it had been in there. He watched as Jack sat down, sitting upright. “Thanks, it took me long enough to get it right.” It really had.

**_”He’s lulling you into a false sense of security…”_ ** __Gabe grunted a little as that all too familiar sharp pain shot through his left leg, a flash of annoyance crossing his features. Why _now_ of all times? Couldn’t he just _enjoy_ himself this time? Why did it have to be the pain _and_ the Reaper? “So uh…” small talk was going to be awkward, since ‘what have you been up to all this time?’ wouldn’t really cut it. Especially since they both had a pretty clear idea. “Drinks?”_ _


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night, part two.

Jack had caught a glimpse of something in Gabe’s expression, but it disappeared far too quickly for him to be able to pinpoint what it was. “Drinks sound good.” It was a good idea, hopefully it’ll help dispel some of the lurking awkwardness in the room, if not loosen them both up a little. _finally_ managing to tear his gaze away from the man in front of him, Jack reached for the little laminated drinks menu that was propped between the glass salt and pepper shakers and bought it closer to himself to peruse the selection. Aside from the usual soft-drinks, coffees and teas, there was also a small selection of wines, beer and various other types of alcohol. “There are some good wines here, did you… want to share a bottle?” A bottle would be plenty for the both of them, but Jack wasn’t going to hog the menu. Setting it down, he slid it over the surface of the table towards Gabe, gesturing to it with his head. “Here.”

While Jack looked over the menu, it was Gabriel’s turn to allow himself some time to stare at the handsome sight before him. Damn, he’d forgotten how nicely the man scrubbed up, especially when he was wearing a suit, and white? White really suited him. He allowed himself a quiet, half laugh at the irony of their current outfits, black and white. One good man and one monster. He was just glad Jack was willing to spend time with him, considering all the things he’d done and the sheer fact he felt no remorse for those he’d killed. “Hrm?” He was pulled from his thoughts as the menu was slid into his field of vision and he realised he’d been spoken to. Oops. Plucking the menu from the table, he skimmed the list while using the time to recall what Jack had said. He settled with a simple, “Yeah sure, sounds good, I’ll have whatever you want.”

Something was a little off with Gabe’s response and it prompted an eyebrow raise from Jack, but he didn’t comment. “Wine it is, then.” But… wait, how the hell do they order? The soldier took a quick look around the well-decorated room, but quickly gave up on trying to figure that out. A server would probably come soon enough, so, they probably should get around to deciding what to eat as well. He shifted his attention to one of the two food menus, a series of laminated and decorated pages on a special white clip-board type base that had titles embossed in gold lettering in a curvy, flourished font. How fancy. Speaking of _fancy_ , the room was indeed that. While it was relatively small and rectangular, it wasn’t so bad that it caused any sort of claustrophobia. Underneath the central mahogany table sat an embroidered white rug, gentle wave and floral patterns gracing the edges in gold. The walls on the other hand, they were cream coloured but also had that same pattern at the base and top of the wall. Opposite the entrance was a large window that expanded across almost the entire wall, revealing the streets below the upstairs restaurant. “We should decide on food.” Rather blatantly, Jack speaks up again and flips through the menu, looking for something that tickles his fancy.

 _ **"You could stop him before he tries to stop you. His blood would look great splashed on these walls."**_ Gabe grit his jaw tightly, gee, Reaper was chatty tonight. But no, Gabriel fully intended to ignore him and _enjoy_ himself. A real enjoyment that didn’t include mass murder. Jack spoke again and this time, he was paying attention. “Yeah, that might be a good idea.” At least they can get all the orders out of the way with minimal interruptions. Reaching out, Reyes took the second menu, eyeing the overly fancy design a moment before paying attention to the meals on offer. “You know…” he chuckled, the sound more relaxed than the small one before, “this is the fanciest place I’ve ever eaten at.” He dropped his gaze back to the menu, not even sure what he felt like eating. There were so many things that sounded _so good_. Although, some of them were simply _way_ too fancy for him and what the hell were some of these ingredients even?

Jack rose his head to eye Gabe when he chuckled, lips twitching upward at the pleasant sound as they both returned to read the menu. “Better make the most of it,” because this sure as hell isn’t happening every day, considering the ridiculous prices. Not that that mattered particularly, it’s just… Jack for one doesn’t make enough for this to be a common occurrence - in fact, Overwatch barely pays him him at all because they _do_ provide food and accommodation for free. But unlike Gabe, _this_ soldier didn’t have much trouble choosing at all. Steak. Simple, but delicious and it goes great with wine. He did have to question the interior decorator’s choice in rug colour, though, that must get dirty often… but then again, it’s a fancy restaurant and maybe the customers were less likely to stain the damn thing. Then again, they can probably afford to replace them with ease.

“With these prices, the food better be the best I’ve ever eaten.” _**"Why stop with Jack? The whole restaurant would look much better with a new coat of ‘paint’."**_ Hooboy, Reaper really wasn’t giving up right now and Gabriel was starting to get irate. His eye twitched and he didn’t even realise he was scowling as he perused the menu. At least it hid most of his features, save the furrowed lines on his brow. Fuck it. Steak it was. At least there was a higher chance of it being a decent meal and not some scrappy salad tossed on a plate with a single prawn served as a main. _**"Just take that knife right there. With enough force, it’ll be sharp enough."**_ “So,” he managed to regain his composure as he lowered the menu, but it was getting hard. All he wanted was a nice fucking meal with Jack. Why did it have to be so hard? “I guess they just… come in and take our order? I didn’t see any places to do that when I first got here.”

Jack broke into a small bout of laughter that that. “Or you’ll do that?” Somehow, he found that amusing. Setting the menu down in front of him, the soldier shrugged. “It’d be pain in the arse if they made us go and order ourselves.” There were definitely places that did that for sure, but with this place being so fancy, Jack just kind of expected them to pop in… Speaking of ‘popping’ in, the sound of footsteps got his attention, especially as they stopped outside the door. He hadn’t noticed their approach, which meant the room was soundproof. Interesting. 

“I’ll… complain really loudly at them.” Gabriel replied with a shrug, as if it was so obvious an answer. _**”Or you can lock the doors and burn the place down.”**_ Oh for _fucks sake._

As if on cue, somebody knocked on the door, her voice speaking through it. “I’ve come to take you orders, sirs. May I come in?”

Jack threw Gabe a look. “There’s your answer,” he said before turning his attention to the server outside. “Come in.” At his response, the door was opened and the women stepped inside, a small notepad and pen in hand along with a bright smile on her face as she approached the table. “I’ll have steal, and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon with two glasses.”

Jack had almost instantly placed his order and the woman quite happily scribbled it down. “And you sir?”

Gabe was _extremely_ grateful when the waitress arrived to take their oder. Although the way things were going, this room being soundproof could be good or bad. It was good for conversation at least. “Same, but medium rare. Although, we don’t need a second bottle of wine… just yet.”

The chirpy girl jotted down the order, flashing the men another bright smile. “Someone will be right along with your meals shortly. Can I get you anything else?”

Jack made sure to send Gabe a pointed stare with his eyebrow raised at the choice of meal. He himself didn’t particularly care how rare it was, so he didn’t bother to mention it. “We’re good. Thanks.” 

The waitress nodded her head, wishing them a good time for perhaps the second time this evening. It seemed it was the same one from before, she must have been assigned to take care of them specifically, or they’re understaffed. Taking away the food menus, the woman left without another word.

“Steak?” Finally voicing his thoughts, jack stared for just a moment longer before choosing to just let it go. It’s just a mean, as much of a coincidence that was. 

“What? I like steak and I can’t stand it well done.” Gabe gave a simple reply, paired with a shrug. “I didn’t feel like ordering some food with ingredients I can’t even pronounce.”

Averting his gaze to trace the patterns on the walls with his baby blues, the soldier adjusted himself in his seat, silent, not even sure what to talk about. After being apart for so long and able to guess at what Gabe had been up to (he’s Reaper after all), it’d be a bad idea to ask that. So… instead he went with something that had been on his mind again for a while. A certain white mask. “Two nights ago, I was on my balcony. Happened to see something above mine and it looked a lot like _your mask_. Anything to say about that?”

That expected awkward silence was awful, but no doubt there’d be more. Gabriel hoped not, because silences meant more time for the Reaper to talk, trying to wear him down. Finally, _thankfully_ , Jack broke the silence between them but the words had Reyes involuntarily swallowing hard, a guilty look flashing over his features. “I… might?” He paused and in the end, gestured dramatically, knowing Jack wouldn’t believe him if he lied. “…Fine, fine. Yes, it was me. I… just wanted to see you.” As he had many times before, but _every time_ he’d ended up lurking, too… scared to make his presence known. Hell, if he just walked up to Jack during the day like a _normal person_ , him being Reaper would probably still be a secret. Just maybe… things wouldn’t be _so awkward_ right now. Well, thanks hindsight.

That meant Gabriel saw Jack’s _little episode_ and that wasn’t something he liked. _At all_. Anybody seeing him like that set him off as it was, and that wasn’t going to change just because it was Gabe. He was at least slightly grateful that the other caved quickly though… but the fact the man just stood there and _watched_ while he was in his most _vulnerable_ state… Knowing Gabe he’d probably done it several times before. Now that, that wasn’t something Jack was happy about. His eyes narrowed and returned to stare Gabe down with a glare. “So you saw _it_ didn’t you?”

Gabe watched the expression on Jack’s face change from curious to a glaring stare, those baby blues icy. Well, shit. “Of course I did…” Really, it was a tough call since he was still in his battle gear. “It’s not like I _knew_ it was going to happen.” His brow furrowed, regret washing over his features. “Look, Jack. I wasn’t sure what to do. If I went down there, well, I doubt you would’ve wanted comfort once you realised who it was. It’s not like I’m going to run around and scream it from the rooftops, because I get them too.”

“That isn’t the _fucking point_ ,” Jack hissed, anger washing over him far too quickly. Tonight was supposed to be good, happy, _enjoyable_ , and yet here the soldier was, ruining it. _Great fucking job, Jack_. “You couldn’t give me a little privacy? And what about the other times? Did you see _those_ too?” It was already far too late to stop this raging bulldog, that’s for damn sure. “Why the _fuck_ were you watching me at _three in the morning_ , Gabe?”

Gabe’s expression darkened as the Jack proceeded to lose his shit and yell at him, as if he planned to be there while the man had a panic attack. Anyway, he technically gave him some privacy since the the soldier hadn’t known he was up there. A laugh, no, a cackle began to bubble up from the base of his throat and before he could even stop it, Reaper stood up and slammed his hands on the table, a twisted grin spreading his lips quickly. “ _ **Why do you think, Jack? Because I enjoyed watching it. Every. Single. Moment. Watching you falling apart like that. You should do it more often. It suits you.**_ ”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date continues.

“This better not-” The cackling shut Jack up and his glare swapped for a look of confusion. Talk about out of character for Gabe. He’d never seen the man like this. “ _What?! _” Although the soldier’s expression hardened not a moment later and he shot up and out of his chair, rage resurfacing. “It _suits_ me, does it?” Jack wasn’t going to take _any_ sort of crap right now, no way. Storming around their table so that he was now directly next to the stranger-Gabe, the soldier curled his fingers into his palm and swung without a moment’s notice, coming into contact with the other’s right cheek. “And my _fist_ in your _face_ suits _you_!”__

__That _creepy as fuck smile_ didn’t even fade as Jack’s fist slammed into his cheek. In fact, somehow it managed to widen, almost unnaturally wide now, partnered with a wicked and cruel gleam in Gabe’s eyes. “ _ **Yes it suits you. Fear looks great on you, you know.**_ ” He sized Jack up, that grin unmoving. “ _ **Go on, Jacky boy. Hit me again. Show me you’re not the coward I thought you were.**_.”_ _

__Jack couldn’t believe his punch seemingly made the man’s _creepy_ smile widen, but he was far from hesitant to repeat the same action; swinging his first yet again and slamming it into that very same spot. Something was _wrong _and the soldier could feel it. Although, it wasn’t going to stop him from doing what he thought had to be done. So, before… _Gabe_ , tried to taunt him again, Jack grabbed him by the collar and shoved him backwards, straight into the wall with a loud thud, pinning him there. “Am I still a fucking _coward_ to you?”___ _

____The bone cracked under the second blow and the skin darkened quickly, swelling up. It was a good thing Gabriel healed fast. Another cackle rumbled in his chest his back hit the wall, oh, Reaper was having a great time right now. One hand raised and _patted_ Jack on the head a few times patronisingly. “ _ **You’re my favourite coward.**_.”_ _ _ _

____Jack didn’t think this… thing, was Gabe. He wouldn’t call the soldier a coward- not in a million years. Unfortunately, the taunting had been successful two times in a row already, but the third time is the charm. It didn’t work, as humiliating as the patting was. Fisting his clothes further, Jack leaned in nice and close, glaring daggers. “Where the fuck did Gabe go?”_ _ _ _

____The white-haired man was right in that, Gabriel knew Jack was far from a coward, but Reaper knew how to push the man’s buttons after all the years. “ _ **You’re smarter than I gave you credit for.**_ ” He was _still_ grinning. Reaper wasn’t at all threatened or intimidated by the soldier, or really anyone else for that matter. “ _ **Gabe’s riiiight here,**_ ” he tapped the side of his head with a pointer finger, “ _ **I have to say, I’m disappointed in him though. He should have pulled the trigger the other day,**_ ” he cackled again, “ _ **the Doctor would have made a lovely mess.**_ ”_ _ _ _

____Jack reeled back for just a moment, bringing whoever the Hell this is with him before slamming him back up against the wall. “If he really is in there, then tell him to come back to reality before I break his nose next,” now don’t get him wrong, the soldier wasn’t exactly happy with what he’d done to Gabe’s cheekbone, but if this keeps up… there will be a lot more injuries. “And if he did pull that trigger, I’d have torn his fucking throat out.” Because she is still Overwatch, and Jack wasn’t going to have any of them get killed on his watch._ _ _ _

____It was good these rooms were soundproofed as Gabriel’s back was slammed back against the wall once again. “ _ **You think he has a voice in any of this?**_.” He sounded far too amused right now, his eyes flashed with some perverted form of mirth. “ _ **Go ahead, break his nose. It won’t affect me at all. He’ll be the one that suffers.**_ ” And that was how it always went, Reaper would avoid the pain by just stepping back and relinquishing control at the opportune moment. “ _ **I would have liked to have seen you try, Morrison. I bet you wouldn’t have the cojones.**_ ” _ _ _ _

____With that final taunt, that twisted smile vanished and the transition on Gabriel’s face was almost instant. All of that wickedness replaced with disappointment in himself, his gaze tearing itself away from Jack. “Jack… I…” He couldn’t even say sorry, because that just wouldn’t cut it._ _ _ _

____Ooooh, Jack really wanted to break that nose right and then. “How the hell should I know?” Snapping, Jack would have gone for a third strike when he was taunted again, but the abrupt loss of that smile and change in the atmosphere stopped him from doing so. Remaining relatively silent even when Gabriel looked away, he caught sight of the mark his punches had created and his own expression softened into a straight-face that bordered on sorrowful. “I hit you too hard.” He murmured, ignoring the man’s obvious disappointment in favour of loosening his hold on his collar, brushing the back of a finger across the swollen and discoloured area. “Explain what that was some other time.” Was he really all that bothered with that… other side, though? Not openly, no. It was definitely a cause for concern, but now now… “I’ll try not to yell again, so let’s just enjoy tonight… as much as we can.” Tacking that last part on, Jack pulled away and let him go, having apparently forgotten why he was mad in the first place._ _ _ _

____“Nah,” Gabriel shook his head, shrugging as Jack’s finger trailed over his swollen cheek. “Doesn’t matter, I’ll heal. I always do.” The thing was, Gabriel didn’t really know specifically _what_ the Reaper was, let alone where he’d come from. “I’ll try, but I can’t promise it’ll be helpful.” He realised, as he sat back down now that was he free to move, that they were lucky their drinks or meals hadn’t been delivered yet. “I think at this point, if we’re going to really enjoy ourselves, we’ll need more than one bottle of time.” His appetite was all but gone for the moment, but the wine would help and at least Reaper was quiet again. For now._ _ _ _

____“Doesn’t make it right, Gabe.” In fact, Jack had been turning to violence far too much, if not more than he once had. He didn’t see it as a good thing. Returning to his own seat before the other man had, the soldier’s lips twitched up ever so slightly. “At least two.”_ _ _ _

____“If not more.” Although, if he was honest, he’d gladly ditch that wine for something harder right now, but they already had a bottle on the way. It’d do for now and might even be strong enough to numb his cheek. “And hey, thanks for not breaking my nose.”_ _ _ _

____Jack rolled his eyes. Why Gabe thanked him for that, he didn’t know._ _ _ _

____The sound of someone knocking on the door interrupted their conversation and apparently, this place had spectacular timing. The woman from before had returned with their drink and two glasses. “Please accept our apologies, there has been some delay with your meals.” With practiced ease, she uncorked the bottle and poured the deep red liquid into each glass. “Is there anything else you need before I go?” She asked, setting the bottle down on the table for them._ _ _ _

____Well, this is the perfect chance, isn’t it? “Another bottle of the same for later, please.”_ _ _ _

____The woman nodded and smiled. “Of course, I’ll bring it in… half an hour?”_ _ _ _


	11. Chapter 11

Once they were alone again, Gabriel took up his glass, glancing over it at Jack before taking a large mouthful. He wasn’t going to sip at it, it just meant he had to stay sober longer. Although now, what the hell could they talk about after all of that? After a few minutes of silence, Reyes broke it. “Reaper is…” now was a good of a time as any, “a fuckin’ pain in my ass. Amongst other things.” Gabe took another mouthful of wine and set the glass down for a moment. “He’s been in my head, talking at me all. Damn. Night. Even before you got here.”

Eyeing Gabe with a raised eyebrow, the soldier ended up doing the exact same thing; taking a decent sized gulp of the stuff and finding the warmth that spread in his throat to be rather pleasing. “That was Reaper?” Actually, it made sense. There was no way that Gabe would be in complete control, considering half the shit Overwatch have heard or seen the man do. “Has he been around since the start?” 

“Yeah, that was him,” Gabriel nodded and sighed, “in one of his better moods apparently. My memory of all that time around the explosion is really foggy, but I’m pretty sure that’s where it all started. Guess I died and made a new friend. Lucky me.” He huffed a forced laugh. “I don’t remember the first time I lost control, some time after all the weird shit started to happen to my body. Some time after Talon saved me, I guess.” He wondered how things would have gone if Overwatch had found him, rather than leaving him to die. If they would have been able to do anything different. Anything _better_. “They helped me get control over the ghosting and the teleporting… it took too long. Way too long and even now, after all these years, it still fucking hurts.” But he was used to it now, it was just a part of who he’d become.

Jack visibly tensed at the mention of Talon. Those bastards were definitely not in his good books. Even if they had helped Gabe, it just… there had to be ulterior motives with people like that. There just had to. “How did they know how to help you?” Better yet, why? The soldier raised his glass and tipped some more of the wine into his mouth, this time audibly sighing before setting it back down. “So he just takes control when he pleases?”

“They didn’t know at first, one of their agents found me. I’d been ghosting and teleporting all over the city. Guess I didn’t have the energy to keep it up. I don’t really remember any of that, but from what I was told, the agent heard screaming and investigated. They really didn’t know what to do, they kept me sedated and ran test after test. Those weeks are just a blur, but one of the docs figured it out.” Gabriel decided it was time for more wine, he’d not had nearly enough yet. “As for Reaper, yeah. He tends to wear me down, catch me off guard and then _I_ become the voice in _his_ head. Until he steps back so I take all the pain. Bastard.”

That still didn’t sound right. Since when did Talon _help_ people, whether said person was screaming their head off or not? It was fishy and now Jack was even more skeptical, but for now he wasn’t going to voice it. “…Anything else I need to know?” The soldier questioned, taking yet another gulp. He was drinking too fast and he knew it, but how the hell else is he supposed to deal with essentially being told Gabriel had another (psychotic) him inside that head of his? Even though he wasn’t the one dealing with it, it still affected him.

That was one thing Gabriel had never even questioned (as much as he should have). Why out of everyone caught in that explosion, did they take _him_ and spent all that time and effort on saving him? It wasn’t like they were hurting for numbers and dime-a-dozen mercenaries were always waiting for something to do and someone to kill. “I don’t think there is, that’s it in a nutshell.” Yep, that glass was already empty. Reyes poured himself another and held the bottle out, offering Jack a refill. “I just wish I could _control_ it better. Just let him loose when it’s needed. Not when I’m trying to have a nice evening with you.” Although, Talon had told him that wasn’t possible, not unless he wanted to be constantly sedated (or drunk) and that wasn’t a life Gabe wanted to live.

Jack finished off his glass and set it down closer to Gabe so that he could give it a refill, scrunching his face up in the usual irritation. “He can hear me, right?” The soldier was seriously tempted to give Reaper a little message express from him, but decided against doing so because he had the feeling that’d only make it more difficult for Gabe. “There got to be some way to suppress him that doesn’t involve sedating you all the time.”

After topping up Jack’s glass, Gabe set the bottle between them and took a big mouthful of the (quite nice) wine. “Yeah, he can hear you. Same for me when he’s got control. We can both hear and see everything that’s going on. That would be nice though, don’t wanna be sedated for the rest of my life.” A smirk quirked his lips as he set the glass down. “There’s one good side though, he fucking hates my hobbies. It’s kinda great, because he gets bored and just shuts up.”

“Maybe one day you’ll bore him to death.” Now, wouldn’t that be grand? While it hadn’t been that long since his first class, Jack was starting to feel a hint of the alcohol’s effects taking place due to drinking it so quickly. Of course despite that, he took another gulp shortly after Gabe had. "You could visit the base if you wanted to." Abruptly saying that, the soldier quickly elaborated. "Nobody knows you're Reaper, so if you come knocking on the door..." Jack trailed off, sipping this time. "Jesse misses you."

"Tried that." Reyes laughed, gesturing to himself. "This was the product, after about... three mock ups and two complete disasters. We had nothing to do, so I gave myself something to do. Not that he remained quiet for too long." Hell, Reaper had tried to convince him to kill Talon and Gabe even now, felt _some_ loyalty to them since they saved his life. Literally. His eyes widened at the invitation and he almost choked on the wine he'd been drinking. "Visit as in, not skulk around on your balcony? As in go through the front door? Angela knows but..." He really didn't need to finish that sentence, he very much doubted the medic would breathe a word. "He does, eh? I do miss the kid sometimes myself, but I dunno. Might be best if he thinks I'm still dead. Look how you took the news."

"For five tries, that's pretty good." Pretty? No, it was really good. Gabe really outdid himself with it, and Jack.. was not staring. Nope. Definitely not. It's the alcohol. Always the alcohol. Diverting his eyes elsewhere, the soldier huffed. "Jesse and I are completely different, that idiot would probably _bawl_ at the sight of you." Clearly, his view on Jesse wasn't all that great. But honestly, he didn't mind the kid. Still an annoying shit, but he was good company. Sometimes.

"Technically it was 8, it wasn't too bad. I had the sketches to work from." Of course, 'wasn't too bad' meant figuring out all the measurements to be perfect and making the pattern from scratch, that alone had taken a lot of effort. It was worth it, especially with the way Jack was staring at him. He really, really could get used to this again. "He probably would, but really... it's kinda like his dad coming back from the grave. You punched me in the face and shouted at me." Sure, that was a side effect of kidnapping the man in a moment of... whatever it was. Noticing Jack's glass was too empty, he refilled it without question. "Hrmph. Bottle is almost empty and I'm still too sober."

"Because you're an idiot," Jack grumbled. "There's a big difference Gabe, I'm the one you had sex with, he's the one who saw you like a dad and probably still does. I get the right to punch and yell, he gets the right to be a spoiled little shit." Though McCree certainly did his fair share of complaining as well. Oh well. Watching his only half full glass being filled again, the soldier then proceeded to sip at it once more, slow but constant. "We're in a restaurant, it wouldn't be a good idea to get hammered." But with enough wine, they'd both be positively warm and giggly. Probably. That's the best bet here.

Reyes opened his mouth to protest that fact, but just shrugged it off, Jack wasn't completely wrong. "Hey, hey. It wasn't just the sex, Jack. I fuckin' loved you," he grabbed the drink and lifted the glass to his lips, half muttering into the glass, "I still do." As for spoiling Jesse... yeah, he mat have done that just a little, especially when he first took him in. "This shit ain't going to get me hammered, or you for that matter. Unless you've become a lightweight." He teased with a stupid grin, waving his glass side to side a little. "If I want that, I'll go find a bar somewhere." Or safer yet, drink back at home. Not that Reaper could do much if he was completely off his face drunk. That was one small blessing, but he could never be too careful.

Jack caught that half mutter pretty easily, but the words themselves had him going silent for the moment, heat rising to his cheeks while he averted his baby blues elsewhere. Again. "... Yeah." Well of course, otherwise he wouldn't be here now would he? Though he could do with a little less of that bashful nature that popped up, sure it's been a while since he's heard that, but come on, Jack. You're too old for this shit. But, that didn't mean Gabe wasn't going to get a reaction with that tease. "Shut up," the man may be somewhat correct about that, though. The soldier wasn't entirely lightweight, he just hasn't been drinking all that much. Blame all the beer being snagged by Jesse, that shit. But the idea of a bar.. huh. "I'll second that."

That blush wasn't missed and all Gabe did was enjoy that look on Jack's face, his smile only growing as he got a reaction out of the man. "If we ever our damn meals, maybe we can leave that second bottle and get something better to drink. I'm sure you're overdue for a hangover." Not that anyone really enjoyed that part of the drinking process. He was kinda hungry now, since things had settled back down, thankfully. "I have no idea where any good ones even are, don't really drink out, let alone eat out anymore."

"They'll let us change drinks. Probably. Must be backed up with the food though, it's been a while." Eh, who knows. But at the mention of the man in front of him not going out all that much, the soldier huffed. "Me neither, but drinking is shit when you're alone." Jack may not want to spend shit tons at a place like this all the time, but that doesn't mean he's going to do nothing with him. No way, not after all that time apart. There's no telling when Gabe was going to disappear from his grasp again.

"And I bet they've got some nice stuff in here too. Probably better than the bars do." More expensive too, no doubt. "I know that, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do." At least for him, Sombra would drink with him. They'd get drunk and harass Widowmaker till she got mad and either hit them, or left. Or both. Although, generally he drank alone most of the time. "So, what do you think? Whiskey instead of wine?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here, have some sickening fluff.

For Gabe, he was generally a bit of a melancholic drinker, although that tended to depend on his mood and right now his mood was pretty good. Despite Reaper's appearance dampening things for a short time, he felt pretty good. Once the woman left, Gabe rolled his eyes. "You'd think they had to raise a cow, kill it and butcher it before they cooked it." Then again, considering what had happened not all that long ago, Reyes was glad they'd been slow. Who knew what would have happened if Reaper's little _thing_ with Jack had been interrupted? Probably murder, because that _was_ Reaper's favourite thing to do. Next to annoying the shit out Gabriel, of course. He'd already taken a large mouthful of the whiskey before he started on the food.

"Probably chased it around the paddock as well," Jack threw in, grinning slightly. He did have a point though, it took them a hell of a lot of time for two steaks and he himself wasn't one for waiting, but hell, better than them walking in on Reaper. The soldier didn't think he ever wanted to see what might have happened to the lady, especially when so far she's been acceptable. Rather than going for the whiskey first like Gabe had, Jack got started on the steak instead, cutting a sizeable piece and chomping down on it. The room might have been a bit tense, but it didn't affect the meat and only after he was already a quarter of the way in did Jack finally decide to take a mouthful of whiskey, which was definitely pretty good. "Not bad."

By the time Gabe was halfway through his steak, he was on his second whiskey and was finally feeling that nice buzz and disconnect from all the troubles that plagued him. The steak was pretty good, but nothing special. It was satisfying his hunger and the tension in the air seemed to be lessening slightly. Best of all, Reaper hadn't even said a word. "So what do you wanna do after we finish this?" He really didn't want this night to end so quickly, really. "Take a walk or something?" It had been a long time since Gabe had had _normal_ socialisation that he was well, rusty at it. Not anyone outside of Talon, anyway.

Jack lowered the glass from his lips after taking another gulp, not quite as far along as Gabe, but he was getting there quickly. "A walk? Is that all you can come up with?" Doing some teasing of his own, the soldier downed the rest of his whiskey and poured himself another. "Sounds good. Simple, but it works." And besides, they've had enough excitement for one night. More time ticking by lead to Jack feeling more of that buzz as well, pleasantly warm and apparently, it was enough for him to drop the walls he's always had up until now. "I took on a strange job a few years ago, back before I joined Overwatch." But the silence wasn't pleasant, and he was quite willing to share a story if it meant filling the void. "Someone told me they'd heard a bunch of screams that sounded like a kid, but the so-called child turned out to be a pet poodle being terrorised by a cat. The damn cat had just been watching it on a fence and there the dog was, whining and howling." The memory of something as ridiculous as that had him smiling at his steak, two thirds of the way through now.

"Pfft shut up." It was Gabe's turn to get defensive and awkward, he downed the rest of the whiskey in his glass and refilled it. "I'm not a social kinda guy, and you know it. Even less so now days." And how true that was, since going out meant any number of things could happen. At least at the base, he could keep the danger a bit more contained. Listening to the story, he raised a brow, leaning forward just a little. Jack was never a big storyteller when he was sober. "Just a dog?" He chuckled once the story was over. "Then again, I've heard animals make some pretty weird sounds when they're terrified." Don't ask how he knew that. "And people have that thing where if they don't know what it is, they'll just relate to the closest sound they know of." He steak was only half eaten, the drink was more interesting at this point but he did need food. Drinking on an empty stomach never ended well.

"Never stopped you from going out with me," Jack pointed out, only to shrug not long after as the story was addressed. "Yeah, that was probably it. I don't think it trumps your stupid beanies though." And right back to the teasing. Damn, Jack was almost sounding like the man he used to be, back before all the insomnia and irritating shit that had plagued him for years on end. Of course he still was, but it took a lot to bring his younger self back out even with the alcohol's help. Oddly enough, he also kind of wanted to.. get closer. There was no particular reason for it, he just felt the urge. And he followed through with it, what the fuck Jack? Sliding his plate and glass around the side abruptly, the soldier stood up from his chair and then proceeded to carry it around, only to sit back down next to Gabe rather than in front of him. "Shut up and don't question it." He himself didn't even know why he did it, he just did. Urges, man. They do things.

"Yeah well, the company made it bearable. I just have different issues stopping me now days." He sighed, but the moment didn't last long. "Hey, don't knock my beanies. Those things are warm and comfy and great in the winter." A smile had crept onto his lips as he defended his head-wear of choice. "And I do recall you whining that time in the snow that your _ears were cold_. You wore one of my stupid beanies then." That smile was a cheeky grin now, which faded into a curious look as Jack moved around to sit beside him. "Why would I question this?" Reyes raised a brow, smirking again. "Although footsies under the table might be a little less fun this way."

Jack certainly caught that sigh, but he didn't comment on it. Now wasn't the time to focus on the downers. "Shut up," so instead the solider huffed, making a show of being offended by the mere mention of such a thing. "It's not like there was anything else I could've worn." Actually, there was, but he wasn't going to admit that. But of course he had to mention footsies. What a perfect opportunity to just… Jack suddenly lifted his leg and pressed the heel of his boot into Gabe's foot quite hard, grinning. "What, you mean like this?"

"That wasn't my problem, you were lucky I had a spare on me." He still wasn't sure why he'd been carrying it, but hey, it had worked out well in the end and Jack looked completely dorky in it too. Adorable, too. "Hey!" He wasn't expecting that and he jerked his leg away, his knee banging into the underside of the table, cutlery clacking loudly on the plates. Gabe managed to catch the bottle of whiskey as it tilted and fell, some of the contents spilling onto the table. "I didn't mean that and you know it." It was hard to not laugh right now, apparently the combo of wine and whiskey had them both in a far, far better mood. "Well, Jack, now you've gone and done it. You've wasted some of this lovely drink."

"I'm never wearing one of those things again." It really was hard not to laugh at the man's reaction though, and Jack sure as hell wasn't going to save that whiskey bottle if Gabe hadn't because of it. When he'd managed to recover enough to speak, the soldier was grinning from ear to ear and shit he hasn't felt so happy in a while. The fact that Gabe seemed to be enjoying himself as well made it even better, too. "What, do I have to apologise for it now? It's your fault, you know. You're the one who knocked the table." Pinning it on the man next to him, Jack then decided to tack a little something else on. "I'll kiss you if that makes it better."

"Sure you won't." There was a challenging tone in those words, like… Jack would (will) wake up with a beanie on his head one morning. He really was, it had been… well, before he'd died since he'd laughed like this and felt _happy_. Gabe had been sure he'd somehow forgotten such a thing, but now was irrefutable proof that he'd been completely wrong. "It's _my_ fault you stomped on my foot? Although…” he paused in mock thought, “that will make it completely better, I might even be ready to try and forgive you," he paused and added in, "maybe."

"It's all your fault," Jack repeated, arm shooting out to grab Gabe by the collar again. Pulling him nice and close, the soldier brushed their lips together teasingly and let off a low fake growl, grin still present. "I don't think I should," Jack wasn't going to stop his teasing yet, _ohhh no_. Letting go of Gabriel's clothing, the soldier returned to his whiskey and steak as if he hadn't just hung a dead rabbit in front of a fox and then took it away without giving it even a taste. Taking another mouthful of his drink, he kept an eye on the man next to him to gauge his reactions.

He found himself yanked close to Jack's face, his anticipation building up as the solider lent in and… aw. Such a tease. Not that Gabe minded, not one little bit. He sat back with a mock huff and smoothed down his jacket, not that the material really crinkled much. He finished the last of the whiskey in his glass. There wasn't a lot left for them to share it seemed, they'd made shorter work of this than the wine. For now, he decided to bide his time for he had a plan.

The lack of response was suspicious, _too suspicious_ , but Jack said nothing and polished off what was left of his food and drink. Taking a quick glance Gabe's way, he came to the conclusion that he too had finished, and that prompted him to speak yet again. "So, we all done here?" There wasn't anything to keep them lingering in the joint much longer, and besides, a walk really did sound nice and would be perfect for sobering up even just a little to reduce the inevitable hangover that would be occurring the next morning. Unless they don't even sleep, in which case it'll be worse than just a bad hangover.

With a nod, Gabe grabbed the whiskey bottle and frowned. Yep, all gone. He could have sworn there was some in there before it almost fell over. Perhaps it was just him wishing it was so. No matter. "Yep, all done. Guess we should pay up and then we can leave." As nice as the meal and this place was, Reyes felt quite out of place in such an upmarket place. It would be nice to get out into the fresh air and just enjoy a walk, like old times.

"Yeah. There's a counter where I came in, so I'm assuming we probably have to pay there." Exiting his chair, Jack returned it to it's proper place, along with his plate and glass. His smile hadn't left him for a while now, even if it was occasionally stretched into more of a grin than anything. "I'll foot the bill," hey, he's even feeling generous. What a rare sight nowadays. The soldier approached Gabriel and extended his hand for him to take, intending on walking out there with their fingers entwined and all. Not many people had known about their relationship back then, but they never truly hid it either. It's just that nobody paid enough attention to look, save for a select few. And just like back then, the soldier was going to parade around with their hands joined without a single damn because he was proud of it, even now.

He wasn't going to turn down that offer, well, both of them. Taking Jack's hand with a smile, he pulled the hood back over his head and the two of them left the private room. Once Jack paid, they made their way out into the cool night air.


	13. Chapter 13

It was cloudy and the air had a tinge of warmth on it as they walked rather aimlessly, hand in hand. Even if they didn't have lots of tales to share (well, Reyes would but they'd all involve Talon and he really didn't want to ruin the great time they were having) the mostly quiet walk was more than enough. Without so much of a warning, Jack would find himself suddenly shoved down a small alleyway by Gabe. Pushing the white haired man roughly up against one of the graffiti covered brick walls, Reyes pinned the man's arms over his head, staring into those baby blue eyes with his own, a predatory glint in his eyes, a smirk on his lips and a purring growl in his voice. "You still owe me that kiss." Jack wasn't given a chance to even question what was going on, Gabe's mouth crashed against his own roughly, his body pressing firmly against the soldiers. One hand moved to hold both wrists, the other tugging the neatly tucked shirt out from the waistline of Morrison's white pants before skipping underneath to explore the flesh hidden below. He'd been holding himself back all night and he didn't want to wait anymore. The hand under Morrison's shirt dropped down, pushing down into his pants now. His mouth moved from Jack's to his neck, biting at the skin with fervour as the sky broke overhead and it began to rain heavily. 

The walk may have lacked stories, but it sure as hell didn't lack excitement when he was forced down an alleyway and then promptly pushed up against a wall. A _cold_ one, might he add. Gabe's actions caught Jack by surprise, but for a moment he really thought that it wasn't him at all, that it was Reaper. His words however just had him completely brushing off that thought, because there was just no damn proof and the whole situation _reeked_ of Gabe. And he wasn't complaining. Tugging at the hold on his wrists, Jack wasn't even able to mutter a syllable before the other's mouth was on his, not expecting any of this in the slightest. Still, it didn't stop him from pressing into the kiss eagerly, wriggling and twisting to see if he really couldn't get away from that damn hold. When a hand slipped underneath his now untucked shirt however, Jack relished the touches for as long as they lasted, finally getting a chance to speak once those devilishly addictive lips were no longer on his. "Shit…" Growling softly, the soldier tilted his head to the side to allow Gabe extra room, hardly caring about droplets of water beginning to hammer down on the both of them. Instead, his mind was fixed on something else. While Gabe was pushing a hand down into his pants, Jack took the chance to press his knee against the man's crotch and gave it a hard rub, their close proximity making it far easier.

If Gabe had his way, Jack would have to wear a scarf tomorrow. In the distance, thunder rumbled but he didn't even notice, if he had, he wouldn't have cared anyway. Rubbing Morrison through his underwear, Reyes kept kissing and biting that exposed neck, moaning against the bruising skin as one of the soldier's knees rubbed against his groin. He finally released his grip on Jack's wrists, his free hand moving to cup the side of the white-haired man's face firmly.

Jack didn't particularly care about the bruise forming on his neck, though tomorrow that'd likely be a different story. Moaning at the rubs as shivers wracked his spine, the soldier retracted his knee, replacing it with one of his now free hands. The other one tugged at Gabe's pants, loosening his shirt and sliding his hand in almost impatiently. "Couldn't have ch-Nh… chosen a better time and place, could you?"

"What's wrong Jack?" Gabe's breath hitched as the soldier's hand slid into his pants, his breath rolling over Jack's neck. "Scared of being seen? That's part of the fun." He was grinning as he lent back and pressed his mouth against the others once again, pulling away just slightly. "Turn around for me."

 _Fuck_. Gabe still hadn't lost that sense of excitement over the years. One day it'll definitely get them into some shit. Unfortunately, Jack couldn't deny that it was one hell of a turn on, too. Rubbing and squeezing at Reyes, the soldier was just about to slip his hand into his underwear when the kiss happened and ended. Without even responding, he removed his hand from Gabe's pants and then promptly grabbed him by the collar, keeping him as close as he was to purr. "You'd better not be shit after all this time, or I might take over." Letting the fabric slide from his grip, the soldier _finally_ turned around, pressing an arm against dirty bricks which he used to rest his forehead against.

As Jack turned and lent against the wall, Gabe pressed up against him, his hands slithering all over the white-haired man's body, slipping under his shirt again. "You can try." He taunted, nipping at the soldier's ear lightly, one hand moving to grip one of Jack's arms to twist it behind his back. Holding him in place. "But you aren't really in a position to do that now are you, Jack?"

"Is that a challenge?" Jack growled, but there was no anger behind his words, instead leaning more on the playful side. In a split second the soldier removed his head from his arm and then twisted his body around, pulling on Gabe's hold enough for it to loosen. He broke free fairly quickly, only to take things into his own hands and flipped their positions, Jack now pressing Reyes up against the bricks and pinning him by his shoulders. "That was too easy, Gabe. Put some more effort in," he teased, face hovering close. How to escape that hold was one of the first things they'd ever learned way back when. Dropping his hands from Reyes' shoulders to his pants, Jack crashed their lips together, sliding one straight into his underwear and grabbing hold of him while he used his other to hook his fingers on the waistband and pulled down. Stroking at an almost agonisingly slow pace however, the soldier had every intention to follow through with what he'd said.

"It's _always_ a challenge, Jack." Reyes grinned cheekily as he was shoved against the wall, Jack's face close to his. He always did enjoy the power play, even if it was sometimes half-assed. "Maybe I'll keep zip ties in my pockets, so you can have a real challenge." His grin widened and he waggled his brows, just before the soldier's mouth crashed against his once again. Although as Jack's hand pushed into his pants and began to teasingly stroke him, that grin faded and he let out a slow, long breath. "Don't you dare fucking tease me, Morrison."

Jack chuckled into the kiss, thoroughly enjoying Gabe's response before pulling away just enough so that he could speak. "Or what?" He purred, his teasing, slow strokes not halting for even a second. "Going to go buy some zip ties because you can't handle me on your own?" In an attempt to provoke him, the soldier slowed his hand further still, almost to a standstill but not quite. "Come on Gabe, _enlighten_ me."

"Or I'll have to take that control back from you." Sure, he could easily cheat if he wanted too, not that he'd need to do such a thing. "You know I can handle you," there was a mock snarl on his face, "but at least zip ties means I'd have both my hands free," the snarl turned into a smirk.

Jack's eyebrow rose, feigning to be unconvinced. "Prove it." Baiting him was amusing, so why not? The soldier removed his hand from Gabe's pants and nipped at his lips, pushing back the man's hood and tangling fingers in his black hair. "You don't need this on right now."

Of course, he was only too glad to be baited, even one as obvious as that. Thunder rumbled overhead although Gabriel barely even noticed it or the flashes of lightning. Pushing off against the wall, his mouth pressed against Jack's, pushing the man up against the other wall behind them. This time, he wasn't going to give the soldier a chance to escape. Grabbing Jack's shoulders, he turned the man around without a word, one hand pushed Jack's pants down, the other hand pushed two fingers into the man's mouth.

Jack didn't need to be told to untangle his fingers as he was pushed back and turned around, once again facing a wall. The opposite one this time, but still a wall of brick. "Th-" Just when he was about to say something however, the soldier was interrupted by two fingers sliding into his mouth and the loss of his pants, which he didn't bother to step out of. His tongue on the other hand twisted and curled around those two fingers, settling between them for the moment while he rested his arms against the wet bricks. The cold droplets of water were beginning to get to him now, suit utterly soaked and his body getting quite close to shivering. At least what was going to happen soon would warm him up a little, but he's still likely going to catch a cold.

One foot moved to kick Jack's feet outward more, spreading his legs just a little more as the blonde's tongue swirled around his fingers. Withdrawing those digits from that mouth, Gabe dipped his hand down, rubbing his fingers against the soldier's entrance, slipping one finger inside, another following shortly after. His mouth pressed against the nape of Jack's neck once again, biting and sucking at the skin on the opposite side from before as his fingers pumped inside Jack steadily. He too, was starting to shiver a little from the cold, but the leftover warmth from all the alcohol he'd had was still keeping him warm enough for now.

Feeling the fingers retreat from his mouth, Jack let Gabe do what he needed, legs being spread further and two fingers inevitably entering his body. With a sharp inhale, the soldier groaned, albeit quietly in comparison to the raging rain and thunder that had really picked up. Several more slipped from him at the invasion, though it felt strange since it'd been a damn long time since he's done something like that, once again leaning his head forward against the brick and giving the man behind him ample room to kiss or bite or whatever the fuck he wanted to do. "Shit..."

Gabe was no stranger to doing whatever the fuck he wanted, especially when Jack was at his mercy. His mouth worked against the rain soaked skin that was Jack's neck, leaving little marks and bruises in his wake. His fingers kept their rhythm for at least a little longer before they withdrew and in lieu of actual lube, he spat into his hand and slicked himself with it, not wanting to wait any longer. Pressing up against the blonde, he impatiently pushed himself inside the other, a low groan slipping from his lips. One hand moved to Jack's hip, the other to steady himself on the wall, starting to piston himself slowly.

As a result of Gabe withdrawing his fingers, Jack lost any and all pleasure being delivered to him. For now. Due to the barely audible sound of the man spitting, (it was damn near amazing that he could even pick up on that over all the rain) he had to wonder how all of this was going to work without proper lube. It wasn't like he'd done it recently, after all... but hell, who the fuck cares about that anyway? He was just as impatient as Gabe was, if not even more. But alas, the inevitable finally came, and Jack tensed at the intrusion; something he hadn't felt in a damn long time. Still though, that didn't stop his moan and the fairly easy adjustment (if we excuse the mild burn because saliva really isn't that great), his hand moving back and gripping at the man's forearm as more of those delicious sounds escape his lips, low but definitely present.

It wasn't the first time they'd ridden rough and no doubt it wouldn't be the last time. As Jack gripped his arm, Gabe took it as a sign and his slow movements picked up the pace. He pressed kisses and bites to Jack's neck, groaning against the skin. The white-haired man still felt as good as he used to, back before everything went to hell. "Fuck, you got tight Jackie." He murmured, not that it was a complaint at all. The rain let up slightly, not quite pouring down anymore, the flashes of light and rumbles of thunder moving on into the distance now.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since it was two months since I'd touched the sex scene, I skipped over the rest because I just couldn't get back into it. Apologies to those who wanted more hot alleyway sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I was smacked around the head by writer's block and lethargy. Hopefully things will pick up again!

Jack’s nice white jacket was covered in grime now, on the back, front and the arms. Although he was lost in the afterglow as the two of them pulled their pants back up, laughing quietly. A few people had walked past and in the end, Gabe’s hand had pressed over Jack’s mouth to keep the man _quiet_. Tucking his shirt back into his pants, Jack pushed his fingers through his hair. God, they were both soaked to the bone. Good thing they didn’t get sick easily.

“Just like old times.” Gabe straightened his jacket, shaking the excess water from his own hair before tugging the hood back over. “Although, the rain was unexpected.” He eyed Jack’s jacket and coughed, sliding his own off. “Here, put this on instead. Your jacket is a fucking mess, Morrison.”

Jack raised a brow at Gabriel and took the jacket, sliding his own off and the black one over himself, the dirty jacket was looped over his forearm. “Well, whose fault is that now?” There was no venom in his words at all and he slipped his hand into Gabe’s, tugging him to follow as he made his way out of the alleyway. “I’m pretty sure it’s ruined now.” 

Gabe fell into step beside Jack, bumping his shoulder into the other’s with a half laugh, their fingers intertwining. “I told you, I’ll make you another one. A better one. You might be able to save that one, just stop worrying already.” They stepped back out onto the street, the lights reflecting off ground that shimmered after the heavy, but relatively short storm. The rain had all but stopped now, a few stray drops fell from the skies. 

The streets were quiet and peaceful, save for the occasional car that passed by. Petrichor lingered in the air, that pleasant smell of what many called ‘fresh rain’. It reminded Jack of the farm, especially in the warmer months. Not like now, the snows would come in a few weeks, maybe another white Christmas. “Maybe we’ll even be mostly dry by the time we get back, because you’re walking me all the way home. Through the front doors to my room. No complaints.” Jack’s lips curled into a smile. 

By the time the pair reached the compound, the skies had cleared and the temperature had dropped, leaving them both shivering and huddling close together as they walked. Their clothes weren’t much drier at all. The headquarters seemed quiet, which was a nice change although Gabriel’s pace had slowed as they approached the front door, feeling a little anxious. Jack had noticed and stopped, turning to face the raven-haired man with a raised brow. “Really? C’mon Gabe, it’s fine.” The soldier held one hand out and Reyes took it with a sheepish laugh. 

“I know, but it’s still… eh. Let’s go before I change my mind.” His fingers interlaced with Jack’s as he took the offered hand. Following the other through the halls, they rode the elevator up without being noticed at all. There had been some sound from the rec room, it seemed the others were watching a movie. That was good, it meant he wouldn’t run into familiar faces and have to try and explain himself. With a ding, the elevator doors opened and the two men stepped out of it, it was weird to be on this side of the door. Almost like old times. 

The stepped into the quiet bedroom, Jack made sure to lock it behind them to ward off any unexpected visitors. No one but Ana and Jack knew who Reaper was and until things were sorted out, Jack intended for it to stay that way. Turning on the heater to warm their shivering bodies, Morrison wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s mid section, nuzzling his neck. “Do you want to stay the night?” He barely gave the other a moment to respond before he added on. “Say yes.” 

As Jack pressed against him, Gabe lent back into it, his hands settling on those arms around his torso. It was probably not the safest of things to do, but… he was still wet from the rain and it was a long walk home… He could leave first thing in the morning. “Mmmm... yes.” Plus, he didn’t want to leave. Not now, not after earlier. “It’ll give my clothes time to dry.” At least black hid the dirt better than Jack’s suit did. Well, didn’t.

“Good.” Morrison all but purred, more than content with that answer. “In that case, we should take our clothes off and set them out to dry. Maybe take a shower to warm ourselves up.” And to wash off the grime from the walls of that alleyway that had got into his hair and on some patches of skin that had been exposed and shoved against the brick.

“Shower sounds good.” Gabe nodded, just now noticing Jack’s room had an ensuite. Useful. Jack’s hand slipped into his own once again and the two moved into the side room and shed their wet clothing as the water ran to heat up.

Both of them had gained scars over the years, some from the Zurich incident and many more from the times after that. Once their clothing was on piles on the tiled floor, their bodies came together once again, hands skimming over marred flesh and mouths pressing together in a softer kiss than in the alleyway. Steam had almost filled the room by the time they pulled away and Jack twisted on the cold water, testing the temperature until it was how he liked it. The largest scar on Gabe’s body wrapped around the left side of his body, his upper arm, back and leg, another reminder of the explosion that had almost ripped him apart. Slash marks from debris and marred skin from the heat and force of the explosion. Whatever had happened to him hadn’t repaired that damage, but he didn’t get many scars anymore, his body repaired itself quite effectively.

Tugging Gabriel in with him under the water, the two men stood close under the stream, the warmth seeping through their cold skin and chasing away their shivers. Gabe’s arms drooped over Jack’s shoulders, distracted by those baby blues, a smile curling his lips. Jack was much the same although he broke that silent stare between them, grabbing the soap to at least start the cleaning process before they used up all the hot water. No words were said between them as they washed themselves, just gentle touches and stolen kisses. 

The water was shut off before they stepped from the cubicle, Jack fetched a towel for Gabe and once they dried off, the lights were shut off and the two men slid under the covers. The warm shower had left Jack more relaxed than he’d felt in _weeks_ and his head settled on Gabriel’s chest as the man’s arm slid around his shoulders to hold him close. It took the white-haired man almost no time to drift off to sleep, cradled against his lover.

Unfortunately for Gabriel, he didn’t have that same luxury. Even with Jack snuggled warmly against him, his breathing soft and even, he couldn’t quite drift off. He was stuck in a limbo, tired, but just not able to push himself into sleep. So, instead he just laid there, hand raising to trail his fingers through Jack’s hair. It was at least another hour before finally, his brain settled enough to allow him to be lulled into sleep, pressing some soft kisses to Jack’s head as the heaviness took over.


	15. Chapter 15

By morning, they’d shifted in their sleep, Gabe cuddled against Jack’s back and his face nestled against the back of the man’s neck. Gabriel awoke first, his head full of fog and for a moment he wondered where the extra warmth was from. Oh, right. Jack. He smiled and pressed a little kiss to the nearest patch of skin before pulling away. He needed coffee. In his three quarter sleep state, he managed to find some shorts and a tank to pull on. They’d do for now.

Completely forgetting exactly where he was, he shuffled from the bedroom and made his way through the familiar hallways. His mind stuck in the past for the moment, back before Zurich, back before everything went to Hell. Autopilot drove him down to the kitchen, the scent of freshly brewed coffee drawing him straight to the machine. Grabbing a mug, he was aware of another person in here with him and his head turned toward them as the mug was filled.

“Hey, kid.” His brain was still completely on auto pilot.

Jesse though, he completely and utterly froze. His eyes widened and his face paled almost in an instant, that voice. He knew that… No, that couldn’t be who he thought it was right? Was he still sleeping? Had he had a really, really vivid dream? A hand raised and he pinched his cheek, hard and yelped when the pain was very much there.

“What the _fuck_?” He almost dropped his cup and his attention was very ripped away from Hanzo’s actions out the window. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the man who was now in front of him, studying his features. “What. The. Fuck?” 

It was then, Gabe realised he’d fucked up. It wasn’t back in the good old days, it was now. The present. When he’d been thought of as dead by the man he’d all but adopted as a son back in the days of Blackwatch. His brain fog cleared all too fast with this revelation and one hand raised to sheepishly rub at the back of his neck. Well, how the hell was he going to explain this away?

“An’ why’re ya’ wearin’ Jack’s stu-…” He didn’t need to finish that sentence, he’d put two and two together quite quickly. “You. And Jack. An’ you weren’t really dead an’…” His mouth curled into a frown, his hands balling into fists and his voice raising in volume. “Where th’ _hell_ ‘ave you been all this time?! We all thought ya’ were _dead_ , Gabe! ‘Ave ya’ been sleepin’ with Jack all this time behind our backs?! On some kinda holiday?” He was a combination of angry and upset, tears welling in his eyes.

Gabe raised his hands at the anger and had _no_ idea how he was going to explain any of this at all. “Jesse, I-”

“Hey Je- shit.” Jack’s greeting was cut off as he realised the exact scene before him. The fact that Gabe had, in a moment of stupidity (he assumed) just _waltzed_ into the goddamn kitchen where Jesse happened to be at the same time. The cowboy was in tears, his face flushed with rage and Gabriel looked so uncomfortable and awkward… and now Jack was involved.

“And you!” Jesse turned, jabbing a bionic finger towards the white haired soldier. “You! You never told me!? You’ve been… fucking Gabe all this time and letting me… us, think he died?!”

“No, Jesse. No. Stop.” Jack groaned, rubbing his face as accusations were hurled at him. “It’s not like that, at all. You’re dramatising. Look, I didn’t know he was alive all this time either. Not until about a week ago. I didn’t tell you because well, I was still getting over the shock myself.” 

It was now Jesse looked between the two, able to see the numerous, dark love bites on _both_ of their necks. Yep, he was right. “So, wait. Wait. Lemme get this straight. You didn’t know ‘e was alive an’ within a _week_ of knowin’, ya’ slept together?”

Apparently, Jesse had been in the unaware party of their previous relationship and that elicited a little low laugh from Jack. “Jessie, we were dating _before_ Zurich. Hell, we were dating before Blackwatch was formed. We just weren’t really obvious about it, but it’s not like it was a secret.”

“Well, shit.” Now it was Jesse’s turn to look awkward, he hadn’t even realised. The gunslinger fell quiet for a few moments, raising his gaze again. “So, if ya’ ain’t been dead,” he still couldn’t believe it, “where the hell ya’ been all this time?”

The two older men exchanged glances, Jack answering first. “That’s something we’ll have to discuss later, it’s complicated. Just give us some time, Jesse. We’re aware you’ve got lots of questions, but he’ll be around more. So you two can catch up at some point.” Once they decide how they were going to explain all of this, because the truth was the worst thing they could tell right now. Even though avoiding the truth would probably also end poorly. They were in between a rock and a hard place right now.

“And do me a favour, kid. Don’t go blabbing about it, not yet. I’m kinda not ready to deal with all of that just yet.” Gabriel followed up before Jesse could say anything. Hell, he hadn’t even been ready to bump into the cowboy just yet. “I’m sorry, really. I didn’t mean for this to happen, guess I was still thinking it was back before… everything.” His mouth twisted a little. 

“Yeah, well…” Jesse half scowled, rubbing the back of his neck again before letting his flesh arm fall to his side. “It better be a good reason, else I’m kickin’ yer’ arse.” With that, he basically threw himself at Gabriel and embraced him tightly. “Don’t ya’ ever do that shit again, asshole. I missed you.”

At first, he was completely caught off guard, but he returned the hug with a half laugh. “It’s not like I did it on purpose, Jesse. I’m just still trying to figure out what happened myself. Once I figure it all out, we’ll have a bit talk, okay? And yeah, I missed you too.”

The cowboy pulled back after a few more drawn out moments and wiped his eyes with the back of his flesh hand. Life really was throwing all sorts of surprises at him lately. “Guess I don’ need coffee ta’ wake me up this mornin’.” It was a weak attempt at a joke, what was with this week and people coming back from the dead? First Hanzo’s father and now well, the man who he saw as a father. “I’m jus’… gonna take my drink an’ go process all this.” Maybe add some whiskey to his morning beverage to assist with that.


End file.
